Pay the Price
by Nature9000
Summary: Tragedy strikes when Tori and her friends are kidnapped from the Vega household. Trina discovers the grisly crime scene and lets the police take the reins, but the kidnappers soon begin to make demands and taunt the families, leaving no clues for the police; so an angry and vengeful Trina takes matters into her own hands to find and rescue her sister and friends at all costs.
1. Dark and Stormy

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: I was going to consider this a remake of an old tale I wrote several years ago "Price of Desire", but this is more inspired by it and standalone. It's been a while since I wrote something of this style caliber so I thought I'd do it again for my current readers.

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Chapter 1 (Dark and Stormy)

Trina punched forward, each blow from her fist pounding harder into the pads attached to her boyfriend's hands. Sweat flicked off the strands of her hair and her narrow eyes focused on the targets as she dealt each blow.

She was in training, preparing to enter the police academy and leave California behind. Her boyfriend, Jason, was the nephew of her sister's instructor at Hollywood Arts and attended a university in the state of Texas. In a few short months, Trina planned to move to Fort Worth, Texas and enlist in the police force.

For now, she had to train. "Let's take a break," Jason suggested after taking a step back from her most recent blow. She lowered her arms with a huff and stared at him with her head cocked to the right.

The light reflected off the sweat pooling on his bare shoulders, giving a tempting and inviting aura. His usually neat brown hair was clinging to his forehead with sweat, the tips of his bangs sweeping just below his eyebrows. "If you need a break," she said with a smile, "I can keep going."

"I could too, but you've been going all out for a while now. Time to rest." She picked up her water bottle from the floor and whisked it towards her lips. The cool liquid felt good on her parched, dry lips.

With a content sigh, she pulled the bottle away and made her way towards the couch. Jason followed and sat beside her. He placed an arm around her shoulders and she gently set her head on his shoulder, breathing slowly as she tried to wind down the adrenaline.

Jason's hand slowly caressed her right arm and he looked to her with raised eyebrows. "You know if you overwork yourself you'll cause the opposite of improving your body." She shrugged and took another sip of her drink.

"I know." It had always been engrained in her to train, she'd sometimes go for hours on end without stopping. Of course, that did cause her body a great deal of soreness, but it was an outlet for her. "It's my outlet."

"A good one to have." Jason turned his head to the cell phones on the end table and flicked a finger towards hers. "You know your phone's been going off." She took another sip of her water and turned her gaze to the phone.

She was aware it had been going off, but was too focused on her training to stop. "It's just Tori." She had a special ring-tone for her sister. They had a pretty big fight earlier in the day that involved Tori's friends, so she had no interest in talking to the girl. "I'll chat with her when I go home probably." He looked back at her, his eyes halfway closed and his eyebrows falling flat.

"You shouldn't let an argument get between the two of you, especially not when you're planning to move so far away. Do you really want to leave things on a bad note?"

"No, but she's my sister." She scoffed. "She'll always be my sister. Siblings fight, it's common."

"Yeah." He chuckled softly and leaned his head back. "It's not common for a sibling to let their friends tear their siblings apart, but you know she'll grow out of that attitude. She's just trying to fit in and please them."

Trina rolled her eyes and glared sideways at Jason, she had no interest in talking about this argument right now. Jason nodded as though he understood and grabbed the television remote. "Sorry." She shifted a bit and sighed. "Still not over the fight, it's the same damn fight we keep having for the last three fucking years."

"I know, Trina, I know."

She narrowed her eyes and growled, remembering Tori yelling at Trina about her behavior and how it annoyed her friends; as if that was justification. The truth was, Trina had wanted to be a part of their group so much at the beginning; but she's since moved away from how she'd been behaving. No longer did she care to act like a diva; but she still wanted to be a part of her sister's life and group.

Now, she hardly cared. If her sister wanted to spew rumors and lies, make it seem like she was crazier than she actually was, that was perfectly fine by her. "Tori should consider herself lucky I don't cut her off when I move."

"She's your sister, you'll always love her no matter what." He pressed the power button on the remote and started to chuckle. "Her friends, I'm not so sure about." He glanced at her and she raised her eyebrows slowly. "I've seen that look in your eyes when they piss you off. Even Uncle Erwin thinks they push your buttons too much."

"They do, and they know they do." She shrugged. "They attack me relentlessly because when they first met me, I was a diva. Obsessed with getting attention, usually from their little group, I wanted to be recognized. I've stopped being that way, but they keep at it."

"And Tori-"

"Defends their fucking behavior." She swept her hand out and sighed. "Even though she's been friends with them for three years now, she still feels like she has to side with them." It certainly didn't help that her mom and dad seemed to be of the same mindset. She hated this, to the point she considered running away several times. There was even a time she tried to convince Jason's uncle to let her move in with him, of course the teacher didn't feel like it would be appropriate.

"Think she's been calling you to apologize?"

"Probably not. Probably calling to rip into me again." She narrowed her eyes and sucked the air in between her teeth. "Can we change the subject now?"

"Yes. What movie do you want to watch?" He smiled at her and she raised a finger towards her lips.

"Something action."

"Action? Okay…"

"Or maybe a food program, but I'm tired of competition shows."

"Okay."

"But then, I wouldn't mind a history documentary." Jason raised an eyebrow and handed her the remote. She pressed her lips together and flicked her eyes towards him. "You know, I'm not all that interested in tv right now."

"No?"

"No."

With a nod, he shut off the television and a sigh left his lips. "So what do you want to do? Just sit here?" She turned sideways, pressing her body against his warm skin. Her lips curled into a smile and she slid her hand up along his abdomen and chest, her fingertips curled in slightly and she closed her eyes as his scent delighted her nostrils.

"That sounds great." He wrapped his arm more around her back and gently kissed the top of her head. She nuzzled his neck and her eyes fluttered. She turned her head a bit, pushing her chin onto his shoulder. "What do you think, Lindsay's birthday is coming up, maybe I'll make a cake…"

He laughed, it was warm and delightful to her ears. "Travis loves anything you bake, so he'll certainly welcome you making a cake for his girlfriend."

"_You_ love my baking." He smirked. She'd been learning to craft a lot of different confectionaries by watching the food channels throughout the day. She'd look up recipes and watch youtube videos as well and recently began experimenting and making her own recipes.

So far, her boyfriend, her best friend and his best friend as well as Mr. Sikowitz could never get enough of her food. Tori's friends, however, decided ultimately they never wanted to bother trying any of her food because they just assumed she couldn't cook and her food would be horrible. Tori, always sided with them. Even though Tori had tried her cooking and said before that she loved her food.

"I was thinking a marble cake with triple chocolate frosting and candy pieces to garnish." She grinned from ear to ear as she watched Jason's eyes grow large. He put a hand to his stomach and whistled.

"I'm just envisioning that."

"Maybe I'll make a pudding filling."

"Oh, are you trying to make me hungry?"

With a laugh, she leaned up and kissed his lips. "I'll surprise you guys." He wagged his eyebrows and leaned down, kissing her in return. She raised her hand to the back of his head and leaned into the kiss, adding her own push as she felt his arms lock around her waist.

Within the hour, they were laying together on the couch with him spooning her. He had an arm draped over her waist and she had her hands folded beneath her head. The front door opened and Trina lifted her head to see Mr. Sikowitz entering.

His brown leather jacket was wet from rain and he was shaking off an umbrella outside. "It's coming down like hell out there," he muttered. She heard the rumble of thunder and saw the sky outside light up with streaks of lightning.

"Didn't know it was even storming."

Sikowitz looked over with half-lidded gaze, then slowly shook his head. "I can't imagine why." Jason raised his head and Trina looked at him with blood rushing to her cheeks. "It's late, are you good to get home?"

"Of course." She sat up and grabbed her clothes off the floor. "How late is it?" Jason grabbed her phone from the table and handed it over. When she checked the screen, she was shocked to see it was a quarter past midnight. "You're getting in late."

"I was trying to wait out your training session." Sikowitz removed his coat and threw it on the coat rack next to the door. "You know I like to give the two of you your privacy."

"Did you grade papers at the bar?" Jason asked. It was something Sikowitz liked to do on occasion. He'd head out to his favorite bar and sit there working on papers while having a beer or two.

"Yes." Trina pulled her shirt on and kissed Jason on the cheek before standing up. "You need to be careful driving home Trina. That rain's coming down so hard it's nearly impossible just to see the road."

"Maybe she can stay until it clears up out there?"

"You know how I feel about that."

"Yeah, but I'd hate for something to happen."

Trina rolled her eyes and smiled at him. "I'll be fine, honey." She glanced at her phone, sliding her finger across the screen to bring up the keypad that she needed to unlock her phone. When she saw five missed calls from Tori and two from her mother, a sense of dread struck her heart. "I need to be going home anyway, I didn't realize Mom and Tori both were trying to reach me."

"I got a call from her too," Sikowitz remarked with a frown, "But I don't take personal calls from students."

"Okay, well I need to see what's going on. They're probably asleep by now." She grabbed her purse off the floor and put her phone inside as she made her way to the door. She put her hand on the knob and looked back at Jason. "Talk to you tomorrow. Love you."

He flashed a smile and waved his hand. "Love you too, drive safe out there. Text me when you get home?"

"Sure."

Sikowitz cleared his throat and lifted up his umbrella. "Would you like me to walk you out to your car?"

"No thanks."

"Okay. Goodbye, let us know when you get home safe."

"I will."

She raced out to her car, shielding her face with her arm. The rain drenched her hair and clothing quickly and to the point she felt like she'd flood her car once inside.

Even with the windshield wipers on full speed, the rain pelted her car with such force that it was impossible to see past. "Shit," she muttered, "He wasn't wrong. Guess I'll take the back roads home."

Eventually she made it to her house without issue, and the rain was a slight bit lighter than before. Lights were on inside the house, so she figured someone was awake. When she reached the door, she was shocked to see it unlocked.

Her brow furrowed as she opened the door and stepped inside, something did not feel right. Her father usually locked the door after ten o'clock at night, even if anybody was awake. He didn't want to take chances.

Once inside, she was shocked to see the living room looking like a tornado had swept through it. The couch was overturned, the dining table chairs were on the floor, the television was on the ground and busted.

"What the fuck?" She pulled her purse strap up over her shoulder and looked around. "Mom? Dad?" A broken cell phone lay on the ground beside the couch. "Tori?"

No one answered her calls to them, so she carefully walked through the house, scanning it with her eyes. Nothing seemed to be taken. On the kitchen counter was the expensive pearl necklace Jason got for their anniversary, she'd left it there earlier by mistake before heading out.

Tori's friends had been over, so she wondered if they might know what transpired. "Hello!" She looked up the stairs and was stunned to see some of the wooden rails snapped and broken. The piano at the bottom of the stairs was also damaged, with a few keys pulled off. It was as though someone were grabbing them and trying to cling on something.

Fear started to course through her veins as she looked up the stairs and called for Tori to come down. She looked over her shoulder and carefully made her way to her father's study. The door was partially open, a sign that made her hesitate. "Dad?" She carefully pushed the door open and cried out at what she saw.

Her father was lying face down in a pool of blood just a few feet away from his desk. Bullet holes tore through the back of his shirt. "Dad!" She knelt beside him and reached for him, but stopped before she touched him.

She remembered learning about crime scene contamination and thought better of further contaminating the scene. Her trembling hand flew over her mouth and fear began to turn to rage.

As she stood up, she heard a noise from behind. She spun around and saw a man dressed in an olive green turtleneck sweater and long denim jeans. He had a black ski mask pulled over his face and was holding a knife in his hand.

He began to rush her. Thinking fast, she dodged to the right and grabbed his wrist. She started to twist his wrist backwards, then rushed behind him, pulling his arm with her.

The man let out a scream as she raised her leg up and brought it down on his elbow. She heard the sound of bone snapping and his dagger hitting the floor. Before the man had time to react, she ran to her father's desk and opened the drawer containing the gun her dad was likely trying to reach.

She pulled it out and aimed it at the man, who immediately stepped back. "Who are you?" She screamed. "Why did you do this?" Tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks. "Why!" The man turned and ran from the room, screaming as he hit the front door.

Panting heavily, she turned her eyes to her father and dropped the gun on the desk as she brought her hands to her face. It took a few minutes for her to call the police. They asked her to wait outside after instructing her to see if she could find her sister or her mother.

When she could not, she did as instructed despite the deathly chill that clung in the air and the rain that drenched her. Dropping to her knees, she continued to weep until the police arrived-followed by Jason and Mr. Sikowitz who instantly ran to console her.

* * *

Something horrible clearly happened, something that Trina clearly escaped by being over at Jason's house. Whatever argument she may have had with her sister might've saved her life. Still, she's not going to sit and do nothing, because that makes for a rather dull tale doesn't it? Whoever screwed with her family has just earned a powerful enemy.


	2. Fish and Alcohol

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

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Chapter 2 (Fish and Alcohol)

Trina held a warm cup of coffee in her trembling hands, sipping it slowly and praying it would calm her frayed nerves. She had a red blanket wrapped around her body for warmth and was staring ahead at the wall in front of her. Her mind kept flashing back to the horror of discovering her father's body and fighting off one of the attackers.

It had been a week, and she still couldn't bring herself to step foot in the house. Sikowitz was allowing her to stay at his place for the time being, which was a great source of comfort to her. She was barely able to sleep and was constantly looking over her shoulder, afraid someone would be coming after her.

Her mother had not turned up yet, Tori was nowhere to be found; and to her dismay, none of Tori's friends were answering their phones. She'd given the police her statement, Jason and Mr. Sikowitz both confirmed she was over at their place most of the day. Still, it didn't seem like the police had found anything yet.

Officer Malone was her main contact as he'd taken charge of the investigation. He considered it something personal as David had been a best friend of his for many years. He was the godfather of the sisters as well, so Trina was happy to hear him demand to be the lead investigator.

Jason walked up to her and she raised her head to him, her breathing shuttered from her lips and she watched as he sat beside her. "Have you been able to get any rest yet?" He curled his eyebrows in towards the center of his forehead and reached over, placing a hand on her left knee.

She lowered her coffee and moved her head to his shoulder. A whimper escaped her and fresh tears mingled with the red streaks going down her cheeks. She hadn't yet talked to him about the crime scene. She was feeling stronger now, but it was still difficult. "I-I should have been there Jason." Jason breathed in and shut his eyes.

"Not gonna lie, I'm glad you weren't there."

"I could have protected them. Dad-" She started to shake, sobbing as her father's body continued to haunt her. "Dad might not be dead." Jason squeezed her knee gently, his eyes were misty and his voice was heavy.

"We don't know that for sure, Trina. We don't know what happened, I-I hate to think that you could've been overpowered." She looked away with a scoff, her heart sank into the nauseous pits of her stomach and a lump grew in her throat.

"But what if I could have stopped them? What if I could have bought my dad some time to reach his weapon?" Jason remained silent, allowing her to ramble. She needed that, it was important for the moment. "It wasn't a robbery, Jason. Nothing was missing." He furrowed his brow and nodded before raising his own coffee mug to his lips.

Trina bowed her head, staring down at the coffee swirling inside her cup. "I…I walked in, the door was unlocked. Daddy never leaves the door unlocked after ten. Never." Jason nodded, his expression growing serious as he listened to her. She rolled her thumb over the top of the mug handle. "Everything was turned over, the couch was even ripped up."

"The door was just open?"

"Closed." There had been nothing that would've made her think the people broke into the home. "I called out to them, no one answered. Mom wasn't there, Tori wasn't there." She clenched her eyes shut and began to shake more, dropping her left hand to the couch. Jason cupped his hand over hers, slowly rubbing it with his thumb. The sweeping motion was soothing and drew her gaze towards it.

She took a deep breath, her heart ached with every beat. She bit down on her lip as she played out the scene in her head. "I saw my dad's study open. He…He usually left the door closed." Jason took a deep breath, nodding his head slowly. "I didn't know what I was going to walk into."

A sob cracked from her lips and she dropped her chin. Jason slowly took her coffee from her and set the mug on the coffee table with his. She looked up as he carefully wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "It's okay Trina, I'm here for you." Her hands slid up his back and cupped his shoulders. She hiccupped once and buried her head into the nook between his chin and chest.

Turning her head, she studied her phone. "I have to try them again." She reached for the phone, her fingers trembling above it as another shiver ran down her spine.

"You've been trying them all week," said another voice. She looked to see her best friend standing nearby. Lindsay was tall and well toned, she had light brown hair tied in a loose ponytail. Her arms were folded over her chest and her expression was forlorn. "Tori's friends aren't answering, simple as that."

"But I have to try. Maybe they were there."

Lindsay's expression turned grim and she shook her head slowly. "If they were there, I don't know if I want to imagine what would've happened to them." The thought made her hair stand on end. "I know you don't like them all that much, but-"

"I wouldn't wish anything horrible on any of them. Ever. Still, why won't they answer? Why won't mom answer?"

"Heard anything from Officer Malone?"

She shook her head. "Gary says he hasn't found a trace of Mom, and if he's heard anything about Tori's friends, he's not saying." Gary was likely letting her rest and not wanting to share a lot of the details with her, but he knew her better than that. She always took an interest, and this was her family. "I don't want to sit here not knowing."

"What can you do?"

"I-I can find out what happened." Lindsay raised an eyebrow and Jason glanced at her phone with a knowing look in his eyes. Her dad had cameras installed in the house, so whatever happened was likely caught on camera.

She had access to those cameras. The reason being was the protective streak that she had, she begged her dad to let her have the access code and he eventually gave it to her.

"Trina," Jason started with a warning breath. She swallowed the air in her throat and sighed.

"No, I have to. I have to see. I have to know." She grabbed her phone, hesitating for a moment, staring at the screen. Lindsay sat down on the other side of her, her lips pressing tight against each other.

"Are you sure?"

Tears welled up in her eyes and she swiped her thumb across the screen. She entered her unlock password and sniffled as it lit up. "I have to. I have to know."

"God," Jason said with a breath. He squeezed her hand and Trina looked at him, watching as he slowly nodded at her. "I'm here, okay. No matter what, I'm here." She mustered a sad smile and looked over to Lindsay.

"I'm not going anywhere," Lindsay remarked, "Not sure I want to see what might be on those cameras; but I'm not going to let you watch that mess alone." Lindsay grabbed the television remote and turned on the tv, then changed the input to connect with smart devices. "Put it up on the telly?"

Trina started to cough and opened the camera app. She entered her father's access code and then clicked the 'send to' button to load it up on the television. Unsure of what was about to pop up on that screen, she clutched Jason's and Lindsay's hands.

On the screen, everything looked like an average and typical day. It was surreal seeing Tori and her friends before the grisly moment she discovered.

Her breath caught in her throat when she watched the argument that she and Tori had. Tori's friends were sitting around the living room, watching the two sisters. Trina remembered the rage she felt and the dejection that hurt her when Tori called her an obsessive freak and said she never wanted to see her again.

It was the result of the revelation that Trina would be moving and Jade was the one that made a comment about hoping it meant Trina would be gone and stay away. That set her off, and she began ranting about the group, accusing them of manipulating her sister and turning her into the way she was.

When Tori said what she had, Trina knew it was out of anger and she didn't mean it. After all, she knew Tori didn't want her to move off to Texas; but Trina didn't remember the response she gave. She didn't remember telling Tori she would plan to stay away and wouldn't care if she never saw her or their parents ever again.

Tears flooded Trina's raw cheeks and her heart crumbled when she watched her trembling sister stumble and make her way towards her friends. David was standing in the background, next to the piano, his arms were crossed and he was shaking his head.

The friends began to talk about Trina, each saying how horrible of a person she was and that Tori might be better off when she was gone. The comments were difficult to hear and each one broke her more, yet there was a different feeling along with that.

Grief. She mourned for them as well, not knowing the tragedy that would soon unfold for them.

After a while, the group would begin playing poker like they would do any night they were there. Trina smiled when she saw them laughing and talking, their voices filled the room.

Behind her she heard a grunt and turned to see Mr. Sikowitz watching with a misty look in his eyes. She bowed her head and took a deep breath. "You don't have to watch if you don't want to," she said, "I just need to do this."

"No," he whispered, "I need to see what happened too. I want to know what happened to my students."

She let the video continue, ignoring the tightness spreading across her chest. What came next happened so fast that she was almost startled out of her seat.

The front door opened around eight thirty-three. Tori looked up from the cards in her hand while her friends turned to look at the door. A large number of men and women dressed in dark outfits and masks entered the house. Tori stood up and screamed for their dad as the men charged the group.

Trina cupped her hands over her mouth, screaming as she watched her dad open his study door. The man who first opened the front door and entered had a gun, and he was already upon the man. "No!" Trina screamed as she watched her father turn and run for his desk.

Three gunshots echoed in the air and she fell into Jason, letting him clutch her close to his chest. She screamed into him and bit down on his shirt, muffling her anguished sob.

Her father never stood a chance, it was as though the men were ready for him.

Lindsay began rubbing her back and Jason cradled her head. "Should we turn it off?" She gasped loudly and pulled herself away, whimpering as she shook her head.

"No." Her response came out weak and strained. She looked at the screen and felt a rush of hot emotion coursing through her. The man that gunned down her father was staring at his body, standing as a group of nearly ten men descended upon Tori and her friends.

Tori was frozen, mortified by what she'd seen. When someone grabbed at her, she ran for the stairwell, screaming at the top of her lungs. A woman and a man chased after her, grabbing her at the top of the stairs. She grabbed at the rails, snapping parts of it and started kicking.

Trina watched in horror as Tori grabbed the piano keys, ripping them apart in a frenzy.

Beck and Andre tried to rush one of the attackers. One of the people shot Andre's left shoulder, sending him tumbling to the ground and clutching his wound. Beck landed a punch on one of the people, but a female attacker nearby struck him with a bat, knocking him to the ground.

Jade screamed in horror and ran to his side, clutching him. When she looked up, with fear etched on her face and tears in her eyes, she found herself face to face with the muzzle of a gun. The woman ordered her to stay still otherwise she would have a bullet placed between her eyes.

What ensued next was a struggle in which Robbie was trying to fend off attackers with the dining table chairs. Cat was clutching the couch, her nails ripping the fabric as a female attacker tried to pull her off.

Tori managed to get away and was using her phone to dial a number. Checking the timestamp, Trina looked at her phone and felt her heart sink when she saw the time of one of Tori's missed calls was done at that moment.

She raised her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, groaning as her grief turned to rage.

Oddly, Holly had placed a call around that time as well. Trina scanned the camera screen to look for her mother. It would be a few minutes before her mother would appear, running out of the bedroom while the attackers were beginning to tie the group up with ropes.

The attackers missed her and Holly bolted from the house, screaming at the top of her lungs. One of the people ran after her.

"Why were they calling me?" Trina wondered aloud. She couldn't understand why they would place calls to her and not the police, unless they had tried to contact the police.

Had they been trying to warn her? She hadn't listened to her voicemails, she was afraid of what she would hear; but now she knew. She'd hear the terrified screams of those that were present, she'd hear the threats and the fighting.

She clenched a fist in front of her chest and ground her teeth together, narrowing her eyes when she saw one of the men studying a family photo on the fireplace. The rest of the groups forced Tori and her friends up and guided them out of the home.

One stayed back to tell the other man to come with them, but he pointed out that there was another member of the family not present. Trina's stomach turned and the air around her grew so heavy and tense that she could hardly breathe.

She felt Jason's hand tighten around hers and Lindsay folded a hand over her shoulder.

The man proceeded to sit on the family couch and watch television, keeping an eye glued to the door. Realizing that this man was waiting for her, waiting among that mess, twisted the proverbial knife in her gut and filled her with a sense of hate.

He did nothing to give away his identity, keeping his mask and gloves on the entire time.

Around the time that she pulled into the drive, the headlights caught his attention and he ran to hide in the master bedroom. Trina felt Jason's body tense as he inhaled. Trina could hardly pull her eyes away as she watched herself on the screen.

Her nostrils flared out and her entire body trembled as the scene played out exactly as she remembered it.

She was also angry at Gary, hurt because he knew about the cameras and likely saw this but didn't tell her what happened to Tori's friends. Sure, he may have been trying to let her recover, be at ease, but that wasn't the way she was.

He had to know she'd look.

She turned off the television and only her heavy breathing filled the air. Sikowitz was clutching the couch cushions tightly, his face wrought with horror. Jason and Lindsay were still and quiet.

Trina was aware she wasn't yet a police officer, but her dad taught her everything he knew. She knew the rules, she knew there were limitations on what Gary could discuss with her.

Still, she wanted to be in the loop somehow, she wanted to know the police were making process. He told her he would share what he could, keep her informed; but she hated not knowing.

Sikowitz broke the silence first. "Those sick fucks." His voice trembled, but seemed to echo as though coming from an amplifier. "I'd like to string them up. I hope the police find those bastards and give them hell. I'd certainly like to!"

Trina stared blankly at the screen, slowly shaking her head as the scene played out over and over in her head. She remembered the last guy, remembered the sound of his voice. She remembered his height, his weight, and even the smell of fish and alcohol on his breath.

It was a stench she would never forget. "They better find them," she muttered darkly, "I'd like to find that last guy myself. Gary will find them, I'm sure he will."

She first thought it had been an attack by someone her father might have put away, but given how quickly he was dispatched and how Tori's friends were targeted too, she wasn't sure about that theory any longer.

"He smelled like fish and vodka, he even looked drunk." Given how quickly she dispatched of that man, she was certain he was somewhat impaired. The realization did occur that had the other members stayed with him, she would likely have been overpowered. Even still, she didn't care, perhaps not as much as Jason or Lindsay might.

It did scare her, but she felt more rage than anything else. She knew one thing was certain. "If I ever see Mr. Fish and Vodka, I might tear him to shreds."

* * *

Difficult to watch what unfolded for sure, Gary may have been trying to protect her emotions during this first week, but he probably should have known she would look at the cameras. It's good that Jason, Lindsay, and Mr. Sikowitz are there for her during this difficult time. Let's see what will happen, but until then, what are your thoughts on all this? Do you have any theories yet?


	3. Parental Circle

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 3 (Parental Circle)

In the backyard, Trina put all her energy into working out. She was in the process of pushups, jumping to her feet after every few pushup and performing two punches before dropping to do another pushup.

She was breathing heavily and sweat flung onto the stone patio. She grit her teeth hard as she jumped up from the ground and grabbed a jump rope off a nearby patio chair. Trina cracked her neck to the right, her nostrils flared out and she cracked her neck to the left.

Proceeding to use the jump rope, her hops were swift and strong. She blew out a breath of air with each jump. Nearby, rock music played on the radio, it's loud and successive beats seemed to drown out her thoughts the best that it could.

The sliding glass door opened, causing her to pause her workout in an instant and glare at the interrupting person. It was Officer Malone, stepping outside with Mr. Sikowitz and Jason. His face was long and his gaze filled with pain. Trina dropped the rope and turned to him, still breathing heavily every few seconds.

"Trina, I'm sorry," Gary said with a subtle breath, "I know you looked at the cameras. I should have been the one to talk to you about that scene." Stress lines formed across her forehead and she moved towards him, her enclosed hands swinging at her sides.

"You should have known I'd look." She met his gaze and watched him recoil a bit. "I don't need you to spare my feelings. What I need is to know that the police are going to find these bastards and take them down." Gary nodded slowly. He gripped his police cap in his hands and closed his eyes.

"I'm not going to rest until I find the people responsible." Gary sat on one of the patio chairs and looked up to her as if expecting her to take a seat. She instead folded her arms across her chest and rolled her head to the right.

"Have you found anything yet? I'm trying to think, but Dad…if he had enemies…" Gary bent his elbows on his legs and brought his hands, folded together, towards his face. He tapped his fingertips onto his chin and slowly shook his head.

"He did have enemies. You have plenty in this line of work."

"But why bother with my sister's friends?" She dropped her arms and walked over to the table where her water bottle was. "Is it as simple as them being in the wrong place at the wrong time?" Gary opened his eyes partially and exhaled slowly, his shoulders drooped.

"It's one angle. The problem is, the attack looks like it was targeted on them. I'm not sure it was even an attack on David. They certainly could've been at the wrong place, wrong time, but why kidnap them? They even went after Holly."

"Did you find mom yet?" She held her breath and watched Gar drop his hands to his knees. Her lower lip sucked in beneath her teeth and her body started to tremble. "Gary? Where's my momma? Where's my sister?"

"We haven't found anything." She closed her eyes and a stuttering breath fell from her lips. She felt Jason move up behind her so she leaned slowly into his body and let him gently caress her arms with his hands. "But I am going to keep you informed, Trina. Okay? I know you're not happy that I didn't fill you in on the state of your sister's friends, but this last week has not been easy for any of us."

"Is there anything at all that could even identify the people that attacked?" Gary sighed heavily and hunched over, shaking his head from side to side.

"We've got no prints, no DNA, nothing." He reached into his coat and removed a glossy photograph. "The only thing we have so far is the knife dropped by the guy that attacked you." Trina gripped the photograph and studied it close.

It looked to be a chef's knife, with a blade reaching about eight inches. The handle was solid black with no clear insignia. Her heart broke and she growled low. "Great. A useless standard knife…" Staring at the photo left a shallow feeling within her gut and she continued to play the struggle with the man in her head. "I think I broke his arm though."

Gary chuckled dryly. "Looked pretty painful on camera…David taught you well. He loved you, you know." Tears sprang from her eyes and she handed the photograph back. "Talked about you all the time, said you were his pride and joy. Even if he didn't act like it, you were precious to him above all else."

Her eyes closed over and a broken sob escaped her lips as her body jerked forward. Jason embraced her so she turned towards him and raised her hand to rest atop his chest. Her tears fell onto his shirt.

Gary rose up with a sigh. "I'm glad you weren't there, to be honest. I know your dad most likely would have been happy you were safe over here with your boyfriend." She lifted her head, gasping loudly.

"I wish I had been there. I wish I could have at least tried to defend them."

The man frowned. "I know you do. I wish I'd been there too. Your dad had been growing more concerned lately." She turned away from Jason, her brow furrowing.

"What do you mean?"

Gary shuffled dirt off his pants and let a husky breath of air fall from his lips. "He'd been feeling more like someone was watching the house. I knew he'd just helped put away a serial killer, but I thought maybe he was shell shocked from that last case." Trina's lips pursed and Gary's eyes drifted up towards hers. "He received death threats from the man."

"Do you think there's any connection at all?"

"I did at first, but then I watched the camera footage. It doesn't seem like David was a target at all. It seems like those people knew he'd be present and that he'd go for his service weapon. The shooter was ready for him."

"So the house was being watched?"

"Had to have been, because the number of people that entered that house was prepared for Tori's friends to be over…making me think again they were the intended targets."

"But they don't have enemies I know of, none that would go to this degree." Gary tilted his head to the right. Trina took a seat in one of the chairs and began to tap her nails on the table next to it. "They had people they pissed off, sure, but I can't imagine any of those people would go to this extreme."

"The only problem is that last guy waited around for you. I can't imagine anyone your sister's friends upset would be half as concerned about waiting around for you unless you were involved in whatever it was that ticked them off." Gary's hand curled under his chin and he narrowed his eyes at the ground. "Is there anything else you can remember when you walked into that house?"

"I remembered the smell of fish and alcohol on that man's breath." Her nose twitched and she looked over to Jason for a minute before glancing back at Gary. "Actually the smell of fish was pretty strong, like it was around the room too."

"There are some fisheries around the area. Could be possible that some level of planning was done at one; but if you smelled fish on the guy's breath, it likely meant he'd just eaten fish." Gary's index finger slid across his upper lip and he started to hum. "And you said it was vodka you smelled?"

"Yep, it was strong at least."

"So we're looking for a place that sells fish and hard liquor. Either that, or he had a meal at home before going out. Still, it's so vague. We can't go searching every Tom Dick and Joe that ate fish and drank liquor that night. Still…" She felt a tinge of hope and caught her breath as Gary paced to the right. "There may be hospital records for somewhere that might point to the broken arm. Also, the knife could provide somewhat of a clue, it's a chef's knife, one you'd find at a restaurant. It's a general and typical knife, but not necessarily one that is going to be found in every home."

"So I did some good at least?"

"If we could track down this guy…" Gary nodded at her and dropped his hand. "It could help to track down the rest of them, or at least find out who the hell this group is."

"You know that guy was drunk when I fought him off. He could barely give a fight. No way he didn't just come from some bar, and the fact that the others left him might mean they thought he was expendable. You know, that one guy on the team no one likes."

She paused, dropping her gaze down momentarily. Her chest expanded slowly and she raised her gaze back to Gary.

"Have you-have you talked to their families yet?" Her speech grew hoarse and her voice cracked as she stumbled over her words. Her hand rose to her chest and she leaned forward, her brow furrowed. "Maybe their parents have suggestions?"

"Yes, it's possible." Gary crossed his arms and swayed to the right. "I've talked to each of them. I know Robbie and Cat have high profile parents, which suggests a possible reason they could've been targeted. You and Tori had a high profile parent too."

She closed her hands firmly and bowed her head. "Dad."

"Yeah, but even Holly's one of the top nurses in the county, so her job could come with some enemies too." Trina raised an eyebrow, startled that a nurse would have enemies. Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Gary raised a hand and waved it in the air. "An angry survivor of a patient that your mother couldn't save, for example…surgeons, doctors and nurses do have their fair share of bereaved relatives going after them."

"I guess I can understand that."

As for Cat and Robbie, Robbie's father was the District Attorney and Cat's mother was a high end prosecutor. She didn't need any explanation of how they could have enemies.

"The others in the group have pretty low-key parents. Jade's father runs a counseling firm, but he's fairly well off. Beck's parents aren't public figures or wealthy in any regard, and Andre's mother is in prison."

"Prison?" Trina's eyebrows shot up and she curled a finger under her chin. "She could have enemies then, couldn't she? Why's she in prison?" Gary leaned back and dropped his hands at his sides.

"Murder, she murdered her husband and two of her children. She won't be getting out of prison anytime soon, she's in for life."

"I guess pick a parent with enemies and run with it."

"That's what I'm investigating right now, to see if any of them have someone that would be out to get them. Except, this group went after all the kids, not just one or two." She folded her arms and considered Gary's words.

Why would a criminal risk having witnesses or extra baggage? Gary had a point. If it were an enemy of Robbie's father, the criminals might try and wait until he was alone to grab him.

"It doesn't seem like a random hit, but we can't find connections. I've been looking at some of the higher profile criminals that Mr. Shapiro or Mrs. Valentine helped put away, but insofar none of them seem to have the connections to orchestrate a mass kidnapping."

"What about Mom? Did she have any upset patients?"

"Same problem, none with the connections…" Gary looked upwards, sighing heavily. "But she was adored by most of her patients anyway. Then there's Dave, if a criminal were trying to kidnap one of his children for ransom or whatever reason, killing him would be counter-productive."

"Yeah, and then like you said Andre's mother may not have any angry victims coming after her."

"Don't count out family members. Andre's uncle, Mr. Harris's younger brother, was furious with her and actually had to be detained in the courtroom when he tried to attack her." Trina stiffened and slowly nodded, understanding the anger the man must have felt. "Even still, the man lives in Louisiana and has a pretty solid alibi right now."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, he's been hospitalized after a recent car accident. Can barely walk or speak."

"So he's out?"

"Clearly. So, I'm not sure where even to begin. I have no lead in sight, but it's not for lack of trying."

She groaned out in frustration, throwing her hand up in the air. "Have you even heard from the kidnappers yet?" Gary closed his eyes and shook his head, a disheartening sight. "So they're not making demands?"

"We're anticipating they will soon, if there is a ransom coming. A lot of these cases won't produce ransoms or demands at the start." Gary looked at Sikowitz and gave a respectful nod. "By the way, Erwin, I wanted to thank you for looking after Trina." The teacher nodded back at him and Trina glanced over to the man. "This is a difficult time for everyone, I'm glad Trina has some support."

"You know we'll help in any way possible," Sikowitz replied. "You know, all this talk about connections and the kids' parents has me thinking. I believe their parents all knew each other when they were younger." Gary furrowed his brow and Trina gasped, curious if there was a connection there somehow.

"So where's the relation? School friends perhaps? I knew David when he was a teenager, but I don't recall ever meeting any of the other parents back in the day."

Sikowitz snapped his fingers. "There was a youth camp that ran in the summertime, my father was in charge of it. Every summer they were there, I remember. In fact, it was popular in the forties, my grandfather opened it up to try and combat the great depression era and provide a place people could relax during the war. I wasn't much older than they were, and I remember seeing them every summer."

Trina tilted her head in thought, considering Sikowitz for a moment. She was fascinated with the concept that all the parents were somehow connected. "Was it every one of them or like one here and there?"

Sikowitz turned his gaze upwards and started to count on his fingers. "Let's see here. I remember seeing Mrs. Vega, I recall seeing Mr. Oliver, Mr. West, Mrs. Harris, Mr. Shapiro and Mrs. Valentine between the years 1979 to 1987. Not all at the same time, some of them didn't become part of the little group until summers down the road; but they all met during those years."

"Interesting."

"I believe Mr. West did a lot of surfing, very popular with the girls at the park." Trina had to laugh, feeling like it would have been Beck's father, not Jade's, that was a 'Mr. Popular' type. Sikowitz glanced at her, his bushy eyebrows rising slowly. "And if you're thinking about Beck's father, he always seemed to be trying to sell stuff, whether it was candy or tickets to some game."

"Wonder what Andre's mother was like," Trina said thoughtfully, "She killed her husband and kids. For what?"

"I hardly recall her, she joined the group in the last couple of summers and seemed like she was a bit on the loopy side. I would always see her standing by the lifeguard watchtower, smoking a cigarette and sharing conspiracy theories with people. She didn't particularly like people talking to her either."

"If you can remember anything else," Gary began slowly, "Let me know. Maybe there's something there. If they came together at this retreat every summer, then who knows if that could have anything to do with all their kids being targeted like this."

Sikowitz gave a brisk nod. "I'll try to see what I can remember. I usually spent my time running the snack shack and was too busy serving people food and drinks than paying attention to that group. Not many people paid much attention to them if I recall, can't say they were exactly part of the popular crowd-just a group of misfits and oddities. Mr. West was the only popular one there."

"Thank you for the information, Erwin. It is helpful, I'll have to consider this angle."

"Of course."

Trina was thinking on it too and eager to know if there was anything more to it. Chances were probably slim that there was anything there; but if there was a genuine connection that could shed light on the attack, she wanted to pursue any potential lead.

* * *

What thoughts do you have?


	4. Of Vices and Fears

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 4 (Of Vices and Fears)

Standing in front of her home, Trina found it difficult to breathe. She knew Gary tried to clean it up as much as she could, but she was scared of walking into the crime scene all over again.

Still, she didn't want to avoid the place. "Can't keep moping around." She closed her hands up firmly and walked towards the front door. She extended her hand slowly, hesitating over the knob as though expecting it to burn.

Trina glanced over her shoulder while tightening her fingers around the doorknob. Her friends wanted her to wait for them to show up, but she was impatient.

As she pushed open the door, a rush of cool air ran across her face and through her hair. She stepped inside and instantly the cool air evaporated into a wave of heat. "Of course," she muttered, "The air conditioning is off." It was the first sign of financial situations arising that spawned questions and concerns within her mind.

What was she to do about bills? If her mother was nowhere to be found, her father was dead, then how was she supposed to go about taking care of the place? Electric, gas, water and every other expense and responsibility that came with this house wasn't going to be something she could handle on her own.

As she continued further inside, she took a look around the room and noticed that the furniture had been moved back into place. She expected that Gary might've cleaned the place up after the police had gathered all the evidence they needed. Still, the signs of crime remained.

Trina ran her fingers slowly across the tear in the couch and instantly a mist grew in her eyes. She whisked her hand away as if the couch was hot to the touch. Her breathing shuttered as she turned her attention to the table. In her mind, she visualized Tori with her friends, playing poker like they always did. She wanted desperately for them to be there, no matter how much she disliked the group, she pleaded mentally for them to still be there.

For the moment, she'd give anything to hear an insult from Jade or to hear Andre crack a bad joke. She'd love nothing more than to see Robbie trying to pretend his puppet was alive and a menace.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to the empty seat where Tori so often sat. Her knees started to buckle and she gripped the top of the chair with white knuckles. Her voice trembled as she watched the tears fall onto the wooden seat. "It was a stupid fight, Tori. I love you, and I would never want to go a day without hearing your voice." She raised her arm to her face and wiped the tears off her cheeks and out of her eyes. She drew in a quivering breath of air and raised her hand to her ever-tightening chest. "Forgive me, I didn't mean those things I said. I know you didn't either."

She thought back to the phone calls she received from Tori that night, and the one Sikowitz had received. Only one call from her took place during the attack, the last one. When they listened to the voicemails of the other calls, they'd taken place earlier with Tori feeling uncomfortable and wishing to talk to Trina. She had tried to get ahold of Sikowitz, believing he would be home and her sister might be there with Jason.

Of course, that wasn't the case due to his being at his favorite bar grading papers. An alibi the bartender backed up along with a police officer who talked to him as he was leaving the bar. He'd only had one drink, but the officer wasn't concerned about that and wished him a safe drive home. There was never any doubt in Trina's mind about him, but she knew Gary and his detectives had to cover all their bases.

In a similar manner, Trina had to cover all her bases as well. She prayed her mother would be found but Gary instructed her to prepare for all occasions, even the worst. If the worst should come, God forbid, she knew it was going to fall on her to figure out what to do with the home.

She would have no choice but to sell it, and hopefully keep whatever was left after dealing with whatever loans were taken out on the home or whatever debts were left over.

This was not something she wanted to think about, certainly not right now; but what choice did she have? She could gain possibly a million from selling it, within the state of California. One fortunate situation was that her grandparents paid on the house before they passed and then her parents took it over.

That fact would be helpful enough. Insurance was on hold until Holly would be found, and funeral expenses were also going to be hell. Still, she already specified she didn't want anything too extravagant, just a simple and respectful one. In the case of his father, the police were footing the bill for the funeral, especially given his high rank. She was grateful for that.

What did remain was she had no intention of keeping the house should it fall on her to make such a decision. She was still planning to move, still wanting to join the police academy. She had an aunt and uncle that lived in Texas as well, so she was already prepared to be living with them. That had been in the works already.

It was part of the reason Tori was so upset with her. Tori had wanted her to join the police academy in Los Angeles, join her father and Gary on the police force.

"How am I supposed to clean this place up?" It didn't look terrible, since Gary did as much as he could, but there was still the odd stain on the floor that probably didn't come up. She didn't dare venture into her father's study, even though she knew she was going to have to.

Standing in the center of the living room, her insides turned and twisted. She peered up the stairs and sucked in a deep breath. "I'll start up there, maybe." The front door opened up and her body stiffened, she turned hastily and raised a hand to her chest when she saw Lindsay and Travis walking in.

Travis was tall, broad shouldered like Jason, had curly blonde hair and his trademark black cowboy hat that was a part of his overall cowboy attire. It was a quirk, but Lindsay often said she loved that about him.

"Jason's just getting the car situated," Lindsay said, "I thought you were going to wait for us before getting started?" Trina tried to form a smile but simply shrugged.

"I had to come inside at least. Be glad you didn't find me in a fetal position on the floor." She chuckled dryly and Lindsay dropped her head, slowly shaking it from left to right. "At the very least, you got me before I could raid my dad's liquor cabinet."

She tried to smirk, hoping they'd see the piss-poor attempt at a joke. Lindsay rolled her eyes and Travis shook his head at her. To be fair, it was tempting for her to turn to alcohol in the moment, especially as she knew it would dull the pain somewhat.

Only Lindsay knew that she'd indulged in alcohol on various occasions, but that was expected of her best friend. Not that it was her intention, Lindsay had once found her nearly drunk off her ass after enduring a hellish night courtesy of Jade West. Jason had some idea, he knew it was a vice but not the extent of it as she never wanted to worry him.;

Lindsay softly cleared her throat, moved her left hand to her hip and pointed her right hand at her. "If there's even a sip of liquor in this house, tell me where so I can dump it." Trina's shoulders fell and she released a heavy sigh.

"I doubt there's any."

"Yeah." Lindsay snapped her fingers and glanced to Travis. "Travis honey, start searching the place. If you find alcohol anywhere, throw it out." The man nodded and Trina rolled her eyes. "I won't let my best friend screw up her brain or her body."

"Yeah, yeah." Trina folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes. "I'm not that bad about it, Linds. Besides, Dad never allowed alcohol in the house after last year." Lindsay raised an eyebrow and shot her a skeptical look. Trina shrugged. "I had a fucking headache one time, slept all day and was throwing up. He figured out I was hung over when he found the empty whiskey bottle under my bed."

She couldn't help but to chuckle, recalling the memory with fondness. Although it was a dark period in her life, it still reminded her of just how protective her father could be when he wanted to. Despite everything, appearing negligent and uninterested in her, the man cared for her and took great steps to make sure she was okay.

That was what hurt the most. She could never thank him, never let him know how much she loved her father. She cared the world about him, considered him to be her favorite relative of all, and she never told him just how important he was to her.

Bowing her head, she raised a hand to her neck and shut her eyes. Her heart was gripped by regret and she felt the pangs of grief pushing its daggers into her. "So many things I wish I had said. To Dad, mom, and Tori…" She scoffed. "They must have thought I hated them. Moving in with my aunt and uncle, joining the police academy in Texas, I'm sure they thought I wanted to get as far away as possible."

"You do vent about them enough," Travis remarked. Trina noted the caution in his voice and spread her hands outwards, bringing them back in with a sigh.

"I know I do. I can't help it." She paused, realizing. "Couldn't help it. The way they behaved, the way Tori always took her friends' side."

"She just wanted to please them. It's not a justification, but, you've said she never really had friends before them. So, she probably just doesn't want to alienate them by telling them to shut up and stop attacking her sister."

Lindsay huffed and walked past them towards the kitchen. "They'd probably respect Tori more if she did, to be honest." Trina looked over her shoulder at Linday, watching as her friend opened the refrigerator. "So what do you want to do with all this food?"

Trina turned around, studying the contents closely. There was plenty of food inside, whether it was milk or bread. "I'm not about to get rid of good food." Lindsay smiled and proceeded to look through the refrigerator. "I know I'm staying with Jason and his uncle, but whatever food we've got is still good useful. I'll take it over to them, if needed."

"Okay, good choice…I was going to raid the fridge otherwise."

"Of course." She chuckled softly and looked to her front door as it opened up. Seeing Jason walk in brought a smile to her face. She hurried over to him, throwing her arms around his neck. He hugged her waist and gently kissed her forehead, giving a spark of warmth that spread through her body/.

Before she could greet him properly, she heard Lindsay cry out in alarm. "What's this!" She looked over her shoulder and saw Lindsay remove a small metal flask from the back of the bottom drawer in the refrigerator. Trina's heart sank as she watched Lindsay remove the cap and take a sniff of the contents.

The girl recoiled immediately, waving her hand in front of her face. "Rum. I thought Mr. Vega did away with alcohol in the house, Trina?" Trina smacked her lips and looked off to the side, shrinking under her best friend's studious glare. After a few brief seconds, Lindsay rushed towards the sink. "I thought so!"

"It's been a few months since I've seen that thing anyway. Honest." It was the truth, she'd taken a control of her vices as much as she could. Yes, she struggled from time to time, but it hadn't been nearly as bad as in the past.

"That's great, but now is definitely not a good time to start up again. No chances taken." Trina sighed, watching as Lindsay poured the liquid down the drain. Jason arched an eyebrow and Trina looked towards him meekly.

"I had a problem," she confessed. He crossed his arms, his risen eyebrow seeming to rise even higher. "I've been working on it. I'm trying my best." He smiled at her and nodded as though understanding. "Mind letting me talk about it when I'm ready?"

"Yeah," he replied, "take your time. Things are shitty enough as is. Still, if you need me, you know I'm here, okay?" She took his hand and squeezed it.

The door opened once more and Trina groaned, not expecting anyone else. As Gary walked in, she felt an ominous presence taking over the air. He had a long expression on his face and was holding his police cap in his hands. Instantly her heart sank and everyone seemed to tense, as though anticipating the worse.

"Trina," Gary started, "I…" His eyes were misty and his body trembling. "You never get used to this, but I thought I'd given this enough that it wouldn't be so hard; but…" She inhaled deep, her heartbeat stopping as fear began to rise within her.

Gary shut his eyes and his chest sank inwards. "We've found Holly." Her eyes widened and she gripped Jason's hand tighter. The tone in Gary's voice, his posture and demeanor gave everything away. She knew exactly what this was, a moment her father had often said she'd face and that she'd never truly cope with it.

Except, nothing ever could prepare her from being on the receiving end of this news. Her knees began to buckle and she turned towards Jason, burying her head into his shoulder. Gary turned his head away, his forehead creased and his frown grew longer.

"I've identified the body already." Trina raised her head up, gasping for air. Tears welled up under her eyelids and her stomach began to turn. "I won't say any more right now." She grit her teeth, trying to brave the pain.

"No," she said, "Tell me." She turned to him, releasing Jason from her ironclad grip. Her body started to shake and worry flashed in her eyes. "How was she found?" Gary looked at her, furrowing his brow for the moment and pursing his lips. Eventually he relented, sighing heavily and dropping his shoulders.

"Officers found her in a riverbank. She was…" His voice trembled and his body shook with great pain. "She was shot several times, none of them fatal." He closed his eyes, his chest expanded slowly and his shoulders rose. "It looks like the cause of death was drowning."

Trina cried out, clutching her chest and turning towards Jason. He wrapped his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her. Lindsay walked up and placed a hand on her shoulder while Travis made his way behind them, slowly pushing his hands into his pockets and bowing his head.

Her worst fears had been realized, both of her parents were gone. She was scared and had no idea what would come next. Lifting her head, she pulled away from Jason and her trembling grew fiercer. "I-Is there any news on Tori or the others? Anything at all?"

Gary shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, nothing's come up regarding Tori." He exhaled slowly and raised his head. "The others, however…" Trina steeled herself, praying for something, anything at all that could help figure out what this mess was all about. "Guards at the prison intercepted a letter addressed towards Andre's mother."

"What?"

"Nothing crucial was said in the letter, but the kidnappers wanted to let her know that they had her son. Some of the other families received similar notices, even though they were already aware of the situation."

She knew nothing of the sort had been sent to her, or her parents, and that was worrisome to her. "I've checked the mailbox, we haven't received any letters or notices about Tori being kidnapped. Why is that?"

"I'm not sure. It may have something to do with your parents…" She hesitated, furrowing her brow as she considered his words.

"What are you saying?" She drew in a breath of air, looked to her friends, then back to Gary. "You think Mom and Dad being dead already has something to do with the fact that we haven't received any notice about Tori?"

Gary cleared his throat. "It's certainly possible, Trina." He lowered his head, his narrow glare seemed to burn the floor as his hands clenched into tight fists. "I have my team working hard to figure out what the fuck is going on. Rest assured, Trina, we are going to find them."

Tears ran down her cheeks as she nodded to the man. "Just find Tori. Please, whatever happens, find her."

"I will do whatever it takes to find your sister alive." He folded his arms across his chest. "We have a saying in the police force, one you'll probably become familiar with. Don't promise anything, because you can't predict what will happen and a broken promise to a family may be the worst thing you can give; but…" He raised a hand to his chest. "I promise I will do my best to find your sister."

"I know you will, Gary." She sighed, her heart sinking as the only hope of rested in her sister being found alive. "I know you will."

* * *

I wonder, if Robbie and Cat have two of the most influential parents, how soon until the kidnappers can put the police on ice? We've seen a lot of concerns in this chapter. Trina has her vices, and certainly a lot of hurdles she's going to have to deal with; but now with both of her parents gone, it won't be easy. Fortunately Trina has support, and even Gary has her back, so that may be a benefit. Anyhow, what are your thoughts so far?


	5. Gift Exchange

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: The first few chapters are moving a bit slowly I know, so my gift to you (no pun intended) is this chapter. Things will be kicking up very soon.

* * *

Chapter 5 (Gift Exchange)

"I know you are both adults." Sikowitz crossed his arms and glared at the couple sitting on the couch. Trina was leaning into Jason and he had his arm around her shoulders, raising his eyebrows at his uncle. "But while Trina is living under my roof, you two will have separate bedrooms. I expect you to act responsibly of course, but bearing certain things in mind."

"You don't want us having sex frequently," Jason remarked. Trina smirked, trying to hold back a laugh of her own. Sikowitz dropped his shoulders and let out a heavy sigh.

"Just be respectful and mindful. That's really all I ask." The teacher raised his hand to his brow and paced to the right. "I'm not saying don't do it, I'm simply saying to be mindful that this is your uncle's house. Have some respect."

They were sexually active, this was no secret. She and Jason tried to respect Sikowitz's wishes to not have sex in his house because he was a bit uptight in that respect. They respected each other of course, and it wasn't like they were going at it nonstop.

Still, they understood Sikowitz's real concern was that they were young and he didn't want them to end up in a situation where they might end up pregnant. They utilized safe sex as much as they could, were aware of the risks, and tried to be as diligent as could be. All Sikowitz wanted, as far as Trina was aware, was that they minimized the risk of having the added stress of a premature family. Especially now, now that Trina was without her family.

"It's not like I'm in any sort of mood," Trina remarked slowly. Sikowitz breathed in deeply, his shoulders rising, then falling. He closed his eyes and nodded his head.

"I understand. I just want to establish some ground rules, that's all."

"We know." Trina smirked. "I'll behave." She cocked her head to the right and glanced towards Jason, whose eyebrows were rising far higher than normal. She was aware that most of their sexual interactions came from her, she found herself craving her boyfriend's touch so much that she'd entice him to begin. "I won't disrespect you, Mr. Sikowitz." She smirked wider and Sikowitz groaned, stroking his forehead deeply with his fingers.

"You know you don't have to call me 'Mr. Sikowitz'. I'm not your teacher."

"I know." She frowned, her gaze dipping slightly. "Still, I want to show respect." Given he was Tori's teacher, she knew he was to be treated with respect. The same with his being her boyfriend's uncle. She didn't have to refer to him as such, but she felt like it was the proper thing to do. "I will do my best to be respectful of you and of your house. Jason and I respect one another too, so you don't have anything to worry about."

"I know I don't, I just don't want to leave anything unsaid." He smiled sadly and clasped his hands together. "It isn't so much about me as it is you. You don't need another thing to worry about, given all the shit going on right now."

"Yeah…"

"And that being said." Sikowitz turned to Jason, smirking as he wagged a finger at him. "You keep your hands to yourself too." Trina raised an eyebrow and smiled as Jason leaned his head back and laughed.

"Aw all right uncle." Jason looked towards her and nodded. "I respect her." He glanced back to Sikowitz. "She knows I'd never take advantage of a situation. I can be an asshole, but I'm not that kind of ass."

"You better not, I know for a fact my sister raised you better." Sikowitz lowered his arms and dropped his gaze to the floor. His voice grew quiet and a sigh rolled away from his lips. "At least it was good to focus on something else for the moment."

Trina furrowed her brow and leaned forward, referring to him as she usually did due to her connection with Jason. "What's actually on your mind, Uncle E?" Sikowitz shook his head and ran his hand over head.

"My classroom has been so quiet lately…" His voice trailed off and he looked up, gazing at the window with a sense of longing. "You know, I never quite realized how little my students talked and just listened to lectures."

Thinking back on Tori's friends, a smile spread across Trina's face. "Tori's friends were always a noisy group." Sikowitz started to chuckle. She watched a tear fall from his eye and slide into his bushy beard. "But they were the popular crowd too, so I can't imagine it's not hitting the other kids."

"It is. A lot of them are upset, but some of them are taking advantage of the moment." Trina nodded, understanding just how he meant. With the group not there to appear in every little showcase or performance, other students were able to shine. She doubted those students weren't missing the group as well, but they had to live their lives.

"I wish the police could get some clues." She crossed her arms. "Gary said the letter the prison guards intercepted didn't have any indication of who the kidnappers were."

Jason tilted his head a bit and turned his gaze upwards, humming softly. "Did that letter even reach the woman?" Trina shook her head.

"The police let her know what happened to her son, but she never received the letter."

"I thought guards couldn't open prisoner mail."

"They can't unless there's something suspicious." Trina leaned back into the couch, folding her hands in her laps. "Gary said there was something else in that package that was sent to her." Her stomach churned thinking about what Gary told her, she wasn't sure if she wanted to repeat it.

The guards felt something strange so they had to open it to investigate potential contraband; but what they found were several bloody fingernails with some skin left on the bottom. They had to send them in for testing and it was confirmed the nails belonged to Andre.

Just the thought alone of Andre having his fingernails ripped off of him was enough to make her want to vomit. She knew it would hit Sikowitz hard if she told him, so she preferred to leave it alone.

"Gary said the letter basically told Andre's mom that her son was their prisoner now and to expect more 'gifts' from him because they were all thinking about her." Sikowitz shut his eyes and sucked in a sharp breath of air. Trina lifted her gaze to him and closed her hands tight. "I'm sorry Uncle E, I'm just repeating what Gary said. I know it's not…not something you need to know."

"No, but it's okay. I wonder what gifts they're sending her. Do you think she's in on it?"

"Considering what they put in the package, I don't think she's involved." Why would the woman request her own son's fingernails in a package? Surely she wouldn't be that morbid. "Besides, when the police told her about Andre, she looked mortified. Not sure why she would care."

Sikowitz raised a hand to his chin, his fingers stroking his beard. His brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed. "Why send a note to his mother and not his grandmother though? His grandmother is the one that cares for him. I remember overhearing a conversation between Beck and Andre, and Andre seemed to have very little interest in his mother."

Trina shrugged. "I don't know anything about him, to be fair. I just assumed maybe she felt remorse or something and was trying to reach out to him, so maybe the kidnappers took that into consideration."

"I wonder if the other families received anything…"

"According to Gary, they have." It was strange that she hadn't, but then, both of her parents were dead and she was an intended target too. On that thought alone, Trina felt a deeper fear grip her heart. Would the kidnappers have use for Tori? Was she alive? Were her friends alive?

Every minute that passed, every day that went by, was another hour lost that the group would survive. It angered her, the police weren't investigating this fast enough. She wasn't upset with Gary, he was doing the best he could with what he had, and he'd lost his best friends as well. He didn't have time to mourn, no time to grieve, all he could do was push forward and fight.

In truth, he was an inspiration to her. She wanted to do the same, but didn't know how. He said to her all he wanted was for her to live her life and think about the future, but how was she expected to do that? Everything in her life was at a standstill, there was no pushing forward for her.

"Did they receive 'gifts'?"

"They did." A horrifying fact, and not all of them were the same. Jade's and Beck's parents received a lock of hair. Cat's family received skin, and Robbie's was sent the tip of his thumb.

Trina hugged her stomach and her eyes darted to the right. "They all received the same letter that Andre's mom got though. All of them were told to expect more gifts, none gave indication of who they were or demands to be made."

Sikowitz's face tensed and he turned away, his entire body shaking with anger and grief. "Why is this happening?" Trina bowed her head and dropped her shoulders.

"I'd like to know that too. It's driving me insane, sitting here, not knowing."

The ringtone on her phone filled the air and she looked glumly to her purse, which sat on the end table next to Jason. He looked to her, then grabbed her phone out for her. "Who is it?" She asked. Jason looked to the screen momentarily and handed it over.

"Gary."

"Okay." She took the phone and answered. "Hey Gary, what is it?"

"Trina." He coughed and she could hear a quiver in his voice. "You need to come to the hospital. Now." Her heart sank as she noted the coarseness of his voice. Had he been crying? What was going on?

They wasted no time rushing to the hospital, unsure of what they were going to find. When they found Gary, police officers were positioned all around the place. He hugged her with tears in his eyes, then guided her in silence towards a hospital room.

Every step she took was heavier than the last, the air felt thick and her every muscle grew tighter. When he opened the hospital door and Trina took her first steps inside, she looked to the hospital bed and was horrified by what she saw.

Tori was laying on the bed, hooked up to a machine and several tubes connected to her body. Trina cried out in anguish, throwing her hands up over her mouth.

Her sister was covered in bruises and cuts, and at first Trina thought she was dead. She rushed for the girl, grabbing her hand and screaming through her tears. "Tori, wake up!" Her body trembled and her knees began to buckle as a sob cracked through her lips. "Tori?"

"It's a coma," Gary whispered. Trina's eyes opened wide and she dropped to her knees. Her hands began to shake and a dull pain spread across her chest and tore through her body.

She was not sure how long she screamed for, or if she was screaming at all. Gary did not speak for the through it all.

Sikowitz stood at the door, his face wet with tears and his body shaking with the force of an earthquake. Trina felt Jason's arms around her and she leaned back into his chest, raising a hand up to his shoulder while staring at her sister's body.

There was no relief, not in this moment. It did matter that her sister was out of the kidnappers' grasp; but her life was still in the balance and Trina knew this.

She reached her trembling fingers to Tori's blood caked forehead and slid them through the girl's hair. "Tori. I-I'm so sorry." She dropped her head to Tori's chest and wept, falling silent when she heard Tori's heartbeat. It was weak, fragile.

Slowly her thoughts drifted to the letters that the other families received and she turned her tear-soaked face to Gary. "W-Was there anything else with her? A letter or something?" Gary closed his eyes and looked away. "Gary?" His hands balled up and his lips pulled apart, with a breath of air escaping them. "Did anything come with her?"

"Yes," he answered finally. The man opened his eyes halfway. "Again, nothing to indicate who was responsible; but we did get something more." She struggled to stand, taking Jason's hand and using him to stabilize herself. "They said they would be watching over Tori, that she wasn't truly being handed over. There was a threat. They don't want police involvement…"

"What?"

"I'm not going to give up, if anything, I'm going to push harder."

"How was she found? Why did they bring her here?"

He crossed his arms and looked to Tori. "She may have gone into a comatose state and so they dropped her here. The letter did state that she was no longer 'of use'. It didn't say why, but they threatened to kill her if I didn't call off the police." He clenched his fists tighter and fire burned in his eyes. "I don't plan on taking this laying down, Trina."

"But…but if they can get to her." She turned back to her sister, fear and anger growing stronger within her. "I don't want to lose my sister, Gary. She's the only one left."

"I'm not going to let that happen. I'll put out a statement, make them think I'm pulling the police back. Then I'll continue to investigate behind the scenes. I'm going to keep looking for the others. If it becomes necessary to move Tori's location elsewhere, I will do that."

"You know," Jason began, "You could always airlift Tori to Texas." Gary raised an eyebrow and Trina looked at him, sniffling. "The girls have family there, their aunt and uncle. They own a ranch not far from Fort Worth. That's where Trina plans to join the police force, right?"

Trina nodded slowly and looked back to her sister, considering the option for a moment. She didn't want to do it, not now anyway; but it could be the safer option. "I-I wouldn't want to be so far away from Tori right now."

Gary let out a heavy sigh. "If it becomes necessary, I will consider it. The Dallas-Fort Worth area has good hospitals that I've heard of, and it's unlikely the kidnappers would know where I'd send her. Thank you for the suggestion, Jason."

Trina turned to her boyfriend and hugged him, grateful as well for his consideration.

She was grateful for Gary as well. The man held a lot of power, and the kidnappers likely realized it. Where her father wasn't the chief of police or anything like that-he'd been close to being appointed deputy chief. Gary was essentially his right hand, a police commander who was highly regarded and respected on the force. So much the chief of police often considered his advice in many decisions he made.

David had often recommended him for promotions before him, stating that if it came down to the two of them, Gary could withstand the fires of hell and fight with a ferocity of a lion on its last leg.

Trina was certain the kidnappers had no idea just who they were threatening. Especially now, the Chief was older and in bad health. The once prominent Chief of Police was about to step down and retire, and Gary was the favored choice for replacement, putting a great deal of pressure on a man about to wield an enormous amount of power.

"I trust you Gary," Trina said as she took Tori's hand and stared down at her sister's still form. Tears burned her cheeks. "Whatever it takes." She raised her head, gasping out. "Find those assholes, make them pay for what they did to my family." She turned her head to him. "I want them to suffer the way Tori suffered, the way her friends suffered, the way I'm suffering. I want them to pay."

Gary chuckled sorely. "If they want hell, I'll give them hell." He pat a hand on her shoulder and she dropped her head. "Hang in there Trina, we will figure this out." She closed her hands tight and turned her gaze towards Tori. "I'll leave you be for now."

His hand fell away from her shoulder. She breathed in deep and listened to his departing footsteps. She turned fully towards her sister, knelt beside the bed and placed a hand onto her wrist.

"They're going to pay for what they've done, Tori. If Gary doesn't make sure of it, I will." Her body shook violently as she kissed her sister's forehead and then laid her head down onto the pillow just beside Tori's head. "I promise you. That will be my gift…"

* * *

Looks like Gary and Trina have a fire lit in them now. All of the families received something, with the strangest case being Andre's mother rather than his grandmother. The kidnappers have made their first demand, and Tori's life hangs in the balance. So what will happen now? Who are these people? What is it they want? Why is Tori no longer 'of use to them? There are quite a few things to consider, and I'm sure theories abound. Trina's placing all her trust in Gary, but will he be able to make a dent? Sure, we know what the summary says, but he's still going...so what happens next? What will be the roadblock that stops him and spurns Trina into action?


	6. The Hunt Begins

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 6 (The Hunt Begins)

During a workout session in the backyard, Trina had Halestorm's music playing on her phone. It was among her favorite bands, as the artist's music would fire her up. The standing punching bag in front of her was her latest victim, and she was all but ripping it to shreds.

_Vicious_, by Halestorm rang in her ears. Her blows on the bag grew fiercer, each thud of her fist would send the bag back only for it to be kicked nearly to the ground as it was returning. She bit back on her tongue and felt the moisture in her tired eyes.

She wore dark mascara and purple eye shadow to conceal her raw, red eyelids. She wore a black sports bra and long, dark track pants.

One final punch, then she was finished. She grabbed her brown leather jacket from the nearby deck chair. Her eyes drifted to her phone as Halestorm's _Misery_ started to play. She breathed in deep, her nostrils expanding as she let her thoughts drift to Tori and her friends. Her fists clenched and she lifted her head slightly.

"Here's to us, Halestorm. Got to miss your concert." She and Jason had tickets to attend one of Halestorm's concerts tonight, but so much had been going on lately that neither of them felt much like attending. She pushed her arms through the sleeves of her jacket and pulled it up. "Shit." She breathed out and cracked her neck to the left, then the right. "My head is killing me."

Trina made her way inside and towards the kitchen counter where she grabbed a protein bar she laid out. Her mind conjured images of the abduction and murder of her parents, she let the scene unfold over and over again, then started to growl. "I can't stand sitting by doing nothing."

She tore open the wrapper and brought the protein bar to her mouth. She thought on the funerals, two separate funerals for her parents. The funeral home did a good job with the makeup on both of her parents. They looked serene in their coffins, as though at peace.

Tori's friends' families were there as well for each, and not a single one was able to keep a dry eye. She was grateful for their show of support, despite them not having to be there.

Trina glanced to the cell phone on the counter, Tori's phone. She grabbed it and flipped it on, then took another bite of the protein bar. Her eyes narrowed as she swiped her thumb across the screen. "Let's see if they used your phone for anything."

When she clicked the camera app, she noticed all of her sister's photos had been deleted. She felt the muscles in her body tense when she noticed the pictures that were available on the phone-the gruesome and grotesque.

She saw pictures of Tori being beaten with rods, spiked whips, fists and more. There were pictures of her friends as well, each with terror on their faces and each being savagely beaten in one way or another. Her face twisted into a sneer and her hand began to clench so fiercely that the phone might crack in her grip.

Resisting the urge to chuck her sister's phone across the room, she dropped it back on the countertop. She glared down at her protein bar, then began to walk towards the front door, lobbing the bar into the nearby trash can.

Rage filled her heart, hatred coursed through her veins. Each image was burned into her brain, cursing her and destroying her.

Trina stormed out to her car, threw open the door and plunged herself into the driver's seat. She turned on her phone's Bluetooth setting to connect with her car as Halestorm's _Freak Like Me_ started to play. A cold smirk slid across her face and she shifted the gear into drive.

"I won't sit around anymore. Sorry Gary, but I have to do something." She pushed her foot down on the gas pedal. The engine revved and she shot out of the drive and onto the street. "Where do I start?" She tilted her head for a moment, her eyes scanning the road. "I think I'll pay a visit to Jade's mom and dad, see how they're coping." She wanted to show some support somewhere, especially for Tori's friends.

On one hand, she wouldn't normally care about them; but in truth, she wouldn't wish the horrors that she'd seen on even her worst enemy. She recalled the tears on their faces, the pain in their eyes; and the more she thought on them, the angrier she became. What she wanted to know was _why_ this was happening, and why was it happening to them?

Her parents were dead, Tori had been returned to them, so it didn't seem to her like the kidnappers were getting revenge against her father. Then there was her mom, who had been shot once in the back and once in the thigh, likely while running away from her pursuers. The death came from drowning, which didn't make much sense if the pursuers had guns in their hands.

Could Holly have taken her own life? Trina wasn't sure. Nothing was certain.

In one of the pictures she'd seen of Jade, her torturer had his arm in a sling. This man, he had to be the one whom Trina encountered on that terrible night. She would not soon forget him, and hoped to pay him back tenfold for all that he participated in. Yes, he targeted her, and now he was the one being hunted.

Upon reaching Jade's home, she saw he father sitting on the front porch. He seemed dazed, his hands gripping the armrests firmly and his eyes peering at nothing in particular. Trina exited the car and raised her hand, waving at the man. "Mr. West, hey!" He turned his head slowly and his lips parted, but no words came out.

His door opened and a woman with long dark hair stepped out, she had an oval face and piercing green eyes. She wasn't very tall and around the same age as the man. Trina recognized her from the funeral. Henry's ex-wife, Janet.

Janet looked at her with a sorrowful look and motioned her towards them. Trina approached cautiously, looking worriedly at Henry. "He hasn't been the same," Janet said softly, "Not since Jade was taken. He's only getting worse." Janet placed a hand onto the man's shoulder, and once more he was unresponsive. "I don't know how much more he can take."

Trina leaned against one of the porch's support beams and crossed her arms. "Jade always talked about him like he was this big strict guy, like nothing could ever break him." Janet closed her eyes and sighed.

"He wasn't always that way. Overprotective, yes…but Jade had always been the light of his life, so you can imagine how this is affecting him." The woman sighed heavily. "He's become like one of his patients, I'm not even sure he's fully aware of where he's at." Janet turned around and opened up the door. "Come on inside if you like."

"Thanks." She followed the woman in, giving Henry one final look of pity. She scoffed, furious with the kidnappers. "Did those people give _anything_?" Janet shook her head again.

"We've told the police the same thing, we have no idea who these people are or why they're doing this. They haven't even made ransom demands, but they said Henry was to 'pay'." Trina raised an eyebrow and Janet shrugged. "Pay what? If we knew, he'd give anything to get his daughter back."

"I bet." Janet picked up a porcelain coffee mug from an end table beside the door. The woman sipped the coffee slowly and closed her eyes. Trina looked around the room and was surprised when she noticed a Halestorm album on the television stand. "Halestorm?" She picked up the CD case and smiled. "Jade listens to her?"

"Oh yes, that's one of her favorite bands." Janet laughed. "Just like her father, she's into all that rock stuff. Back in the eighties, her dad was into the rock music of that time."

"There's some quality music there." She placed the CD back down and cleared her throat. "Didn't think Jade and I had a single thing in common." Her voice softened and her heart sank slightly. "We never took the time to get to know each other that well. I wish I had." She looked at Janet curiously. "You're a good person, why did you and Mr. West separate?"

"Our lives went in different directions." Janet sighed. "We met at that camp he used to go to back in the eighties, we were young and in love. Eventually we married, but our careers got in the way." Trina furrowed her brow and lowered her gaze a bit, she couldn't imagine separating from Jason due to careers-her devotion was stronger than that. "I know it sounds horrid, and it is. Both of us have always been workaholics, we didn't work enough on our relationship like we should have…"

"I'm surprised in this day and age that you didn't get custody over Jade."

"I couldn't do that to Henry." Janet sipped on her drink once more, then lowered it with a sigh. "I love our daughter. She's the apple of our eyes, but I couldn't take everything from him. I got to see her every summer and on holidays."

"That's good to hear." She smiled gently. It had to be hard on Jade though, not having both parents in the picture all the time and having to fly out to see her mother during the summers. She started to understand some of the contention that came from Jade. "I just wanted to come by, let you know that I'm here for you guys…"

"I appreciate that." Janet looked at the door, her frown growing. "Henry does too, I know he does." Janet set her mug down and walked towards the living room. Trina followed her and sat with her on the couch, taking some time to talk to the woman.

When she was finished visiting the West household, she made her way to the Oliver house. She found Keith Oliver pacing his living room floor, his face was wrought with worry and he kept running his hand through his shaggy hair as though scratching at some itch.

He turned his wide eyes towards her and looked to his television screen. On it was a video, paused with the image of Beck sitting in a chair. His head had been shaved, he was looking at the camera with his eyes full of fear. His cheeks were stained with tears and blood.

Trina felt her stomach churn when she saw the image. Thinking fast, she turned off the television screen and looked to Keith curiously. "Is that new?"

The man nodded slowly. "I don't understand what is going on." Keith's voice trembled, it was hoarse and dry. "They want me to pay something, but they don't name anything. They just keep sending me videos of my son being tortured. It's killing me."

Trina curled her finger over her chin and narrowed her eyes. "You and Jade's parents both." Could it be there was someone upset with Jade and Beck? Perhaps a jilted girlfriend, or someone Jade attacked because of him. "You think Beck has any girlfriends that would be psycho enough to get involved in this?" Keith raised an eyebrow and scoffed.

"I'd say Jade, but um…yeah, no, outside of Jade he's only ever dated shallow prissy girls." Trina arched an eyebrow and Keith started to pace some more. "I've never seen a single girl besides Jade that behaved in a manner that would seem calculating or cruel."

"Then it's probably not him."

"You think?" Keith threw his hand to the television. "His friends are being tormented too. Why would they be victimized for something he did?" Keith turned to her, his eyes wild. "My son is innocent, he's never done anything to harm someone." He put his hand to his chest, his voice rising. "If anything, I'm the asshole. I used to con people constantly when I was a teenager; but there's no reason _all_ of Beck's friends would have to suffer because of me. Is there?" His voice suddenly fell to a whimper and he fell into a nearby recliner. "Is there?"

"No sir." Trina sighed heavily. "There shouldn't be a reason. Nothing is good enough for any of them to suffer through this." She put her hand to his shoulder as he buried his face into his hands and started to sob. "If you ever need anything, I want you to know I'm here."

Her next stop was the prison, she casually strode into the visitation chamber and waited at a small phone booth with a window until Denise Harris was guided out. The woman had a scar on the right side of her face, stretching from her temple to her jaw, her face was twisted in an angry sneer and her braided hair looked something similar to a lion's mane.

The woman sat across from her and picked up the phone with her left hand. Her right fingers tapped the surface of the counter impatiently and she blew a gum bubble. Trina picked up the phone and placed it to her ear. "Who are you?" Denise asked immediately. "One of those people on the outside apparently trying to mock me?"

"No ma'am, I knew Andre." Denise rolled her eyes and sighed. "I just wanted to know if you've been receiving anything at all regarding him like the rest of his friends."

"What? The police have already been asking all their damned question."

"I know, but they're getting nowhere, so I thought I'd look for some answers on my own." Denise tilted her head to the side and chuckled once. "What is going on? Why would they take him?"

"Fuck if I know. The guards here keep intercepting a bunch of shit, so I'm not seeing much." That was understandable, considering the woman's circumstance. "They told me these people aren't making ransom demands. They want me to 'pay the price', but they apparently aren't making financial demands." The woman scoffed. "Not like I have money enough anyway! What do I care?"

"It's your son."

Denise's face went blank and she stared across the window at Trina as though she'd spouted an insult. "Are you familiar with the reason I'm in prison, girl?" Trina closed her eyes and sighed. "I tried to murder my husband and my children. I did not want to be tied down, I hated the married life." Denise scoffed. "It was boring. I had no interest in any of them and just wanted to get away."

"I see." Trina pressed her lips firmly together and felt an unspeakable anger growing within her. Andre didn't deserve to suffer for this woman, not one bit. "I was wondering why the kidnappers would be in communication, or trying to be, with _you_ rather than his grandmother. I still don't know the answer to that question."

"I'm paying for my crime with my life, one way or another." Denise narrowed her eyes and turned her head, spitting her gum out into a trash bin. The woman looked back and growled lowly. "Don't misunderstand me, I don't wish any of this on my son. He has done nothing to deserve this, that I know of; but how do they expect me to pay for anything when I'm already stuck in this hell?"

"Hell? Please, you get three meals a day and recess. You're practically living luxury." Trina leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. "Sorry, but I believe in the death penalty, people like you don't deserve to be living life in peace when you destroyed the lives of your own family and everyone that loved them." Denise jerked her head back and chuckled.

"A lot of spunk in you to talk to me like that, but I get it."

"Politicians today, giving prisoners more comforts and freedoms. Makes me sick…I don't know what these people want from you, but I'm going to find them. I'm going to get Andre out of there; but not for your sake, for his."

Denise straightened herself, closed her eyes and a solemn expression came over her face. "Good." The woman reached up, sweeping her hair back over her shoulder. "I'd love nothing more than for him to be away from those assholes. If I had anything that could help you or the police figure out the _why_, I'd give it." She opened her eyes halfway. "But I don't. Maybe some relatives of my former husband? Who knows? Not sure why they'd want to _hurt_ Andre."

"Not sure about that either. Guess I'll have to find out." She hung up the phone, seething with anger. She was grateful for the glass screen between them, because she wanted nothing more than to throttle the bitch on the other side.

Once she calmed down a bit, Trina made her way for the Valentine home, hoping to find some clues there. Cat's older brother was present, sitting with his mother on the couch. Cat's father was in the other room, preparing dinner.

"I'm grateful you came to show your support," spoke Regina with a tiny smile. Trina noted the worry lines on the woman's face and how her usual straight, tight bun was loose and sagging. The woman had a strand of her wavy blonde hair falling before her face. "I wish I could be of more help to you. Why don't you just let the police handle it?"

"I'm sick of sitting around and waiting. I lost my dad, my mom, and now my sister's in a coma." She shook her head. "I'm going to go insane if I sit around. I'd rather not become a hollow shell like Mr. West is turning into, or going mad with worry like Mr. Oliver is."

Regina nodded slowly. "I understand. I saw them at the funeral, I've never seen them in such a miserable state; but we're all suffering." She closed her eyes and her son placed a hand onto her arm. "None of us are the same as we used to be. Holly, Denise and I, we were closer than anything back in the eighties."

"I just came from the prison, I can't understand how you guys were friends with that woman."

Regina laughed tentatively and slid her hair away from her face. "When you're the 'mean girls', then it can't be helped." She jerked her head back, her eyebrows rising slowly. "In fact, before I met my husband in college, and before Janet ever showed up, I latched myself to Henry and tried to scare off all the women that came near him. Holly had such a crush on Thomas at the time, but he was more interested in girls that were more on the sporty side and not pulling pranks on everyone else."

"I…see." Trina shook her head slowly, chuckling as she tried to visualize the scene. "My mother was a prankster, huh?"

"It's how she met David." Regina's eyes lit up a bit. "Our last summer at that camp was the first time David showed up. Holly wanted to prank the new kid as always, so Denise and I helped her set up this massive prank on him." Regina swept her arm out and curled her lips into a proud smile. "Turns out, he figured it out and stepped over our trap, called Holly over to help him with something, and then he reached around her with his leg and stepped on the trap. Once he backed out of the way, Holly was pelted with pies, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce."

Trina cupped a hand over her mouth, laughing into it. "How did he-"

"Seems he was a massive prankster too." Regina pat her hands on her legs. "They were a match made in heaven."

"You don't say." She chuckled again, wishing that she'd known this fact about her parents. After a moment, she paused and furrowed her brow. "So, you three were the 'mean girls' of the time, huh? I can't help but wonder, who was the boss?"

"Boss?" Regina swept her hair back and laughed. "Oh, you mean like the 'queen bee' you see in the movies. I guess that would have to be me." It made sense, strangely enough. If the leader of that little group became the most powerful prosecutor in Los Angeles, there was no doubt in her mind that this woman had enemies.

"So, any idea which of your enemies would take Cat and the others?"

"I have a lot of enemies." Regina sighed and closed her eyes. "Whether or not it was someone I was mean to when I was a girl or someone I've put in jail, there are plenty of reasons why these kidnappers would want me to pay some kind of nonsensical price. Except…" Regina opened her eyes partially and raised a hand to her chest. "Why would they take my daughter _and_ her friends? Why not just take my daughter and demand some sort of ransom like every normal kidnapper?"

"That's a valid question."

"They're taunting me, they're taunting the guys; but they let Holly's daughter go." Trina moved her hand to her chin and narrowed her eyes. "But, only after both Holly and David…" The woman's voice broke and fresh tears sprout from her eyes. "I don't understand any of this. I'm not the same woman that I once was, I'm _not_ a mean person anymore."

Trina poked her index finger out. "Top. Prosecutor. You're mean in a different way. Turned that meanness into someone to be feared and respected."

"If _anybody_ has done that, it's Thomas. He's the D.A. Hell, his wife is running for mayor. He's meaner than I am!" The woman sighed and rolled her eyes towards the ground, her body sank further in the couch and she shook her head from left to right. "But I've more than paid for the type of person I used to be. I've had my regrets, I've moved on with my life."

"I understand, and I don't mean to pry into that former life." She could see the pain and remorse in her eyes, perhaps this was the reason that she became an attorney to begin with. Maybe putting away the mean guys, the bad guys, was Regina's way of trying to atone. "You're a good woman, Mrs. Valentine. Don't ever doubt that, okay?"

"Yeah." Regina scoffed sadly and raised a hand towards her face. "Then why is my daughter being tortured like this?"

"I don't know…"

Her next stop was the Shapiro home. The pieces of the puzzle still weren't connected, but she was starting to see where the pieces could lie.

Inside, she was shocked to see Gary sitting across the coffee table from Thomas. Thomas was a tall man with dark, curly hair and a stern expression, he had thick black glasses and piercing blue eyes. A moustache rested on his upper lip, its bristles blowing from the air coming from his nostrils. He wore a sharp suit, as though having just come from work.

Gary turned his attention to her, his eyebrows rising. "Trina? What are you doing here?" Mrs. Shapiro walked away, having been the one to let her in the house. Trina cleared her throat.

"I was coming to show my support for the family." Gary studied her with a note of skepticism in his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I was discussing the case with Thomas."

"We're done here," Thomas said with a frown, "I hate it too Gary; but I don't want my son to die." Gary bowed his head and growled.

"But I can't just stop, Tom." He raised his head. "Holly was your friend as well! So was David." Thomas leaned back, his right leg crossing over his left. Trina remained silent, fear and uncertainty swirled in her heart. "You cannot ask me to call off the case just like that."

Her eyes grew wide and her jaw fell open. "I can and I am." Thomas closed his eyes and began to tremble. "I received a video of my son with one finger chopped off and the kidnappers holding a knife to his wrist. They said if I don't freeze the police, they would kill him. They're going to kill my son, but maybe they'll return him if I halt the police?"

Trina wasn't so sure, not after talking to the families. Gary moved a hand over his mouth, grumbling low and shaking his head. Trina staggered towards them, her brow furrowed. "What do they want?" She asked. Thomas shrugged.

"For me to pay…" Thomas closed his eyes. "I have millions, I'm willing to pay any price for my son's life if they only name it. Right now, the only price they're demanding is for the police to shelve the case."

"Don't you understand," Gary said with an angry growl, "They aren't going to just return Robbie because you stop our investigation. They're going to continue to taunt you, continue to torment you; and if you stop the police, they'll continue to do what they are doing freely! They're not going to stop!"

"They might." Thomas narrowed his eyes. Trina saw the fear in his eyes, she heard the worried tone in his voice. This wasn't him being an asshole, this wasn't him exerting some kind of power just because he could, this was desperation. He may not even believe the kidnappers would stop; but it was the only thing that he got from any of them.

Trina understood something else as well, a connection that perhaps Gary had not grasped yet. Henry, Keith, Oliver, Regina, Denise and Thomas were all being told to pay an invisible price; and like it or not she was paying too with Tori's own life still hanging in the balance.

The only clue she had came from Regina; but there had to be something more. Something that connected all of them, and Holly; but so far the only thing that connected them all was that summer camp.

* * *

I was going to make a reference at some point to "I know what you did last summer", but I'm not going to. Still, a _lot_ in this chapter. Maybe you picked up on something too? Unfortunately, it looks like we're seeing the point that Gary is reaching his roadblock, and Thomas's fears as well as power as a DA certainly is exactly that. Think the kidnappers are really just going to stop? Probably not. Have you any theories or speculations? What are your thoughts over this chapter?


	7. Vigilantism

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 7 (Vigilantism)

Trina was no longer content with simply aiding Gary, no she was going to take matters into her own hands and deal with this problem on her own. If Thomas's own fear was putting Gary on ice, and all of Tori's friends were in pain as they were, she knew something needed to be done.

As she stood there in Tori's hospital room, gazing longingly at her sister, she felt her hands tighten as a new purpose grew inside her. "My promise to you," she whispered, "They're important to you. I know they are." Her shoulders rose as she breathed in deep. "You'll want to see them when you wake up. I'm going to find them, I'm going to bring them to you."

She breathed in slow and walked towards the window, they were on the fifth floor of the hospital building, everything below them looked so small. She watched the cars fly past the building without thinking much about them or the drivers behind the wheel. Her thoughts were focused solely on these kidnappers and one in particular.

The man with the broken arm.

"All I need to do is find out which fishery you belong to in order to smell so much like fish, right?" The corner of her lip tilted into a smirk and she raised her gaze upwards. Vigilantism was unlike her, she was all about law and order, and understood that the police so often looked down on those who took action; but this wasn't a normal occasion. In this case, the law was going to lead to the death of innocents.

For her, she needed to take action not only for them or for Tori, but for her mother and father. She knew they looking down from wherever they were, watching. Sure, they would prefer her try to live her life and to move forward; but how could anybody do that when everything was at a standstill. Right now, she had no life. Any life that she could have rested on whether or not her sister woke up.

She couldn't stand the thought of losing her entire family this way. No, she had to do something about it.

That evening, she returned to her family home, it was nearly empty and still in the process of being cleaned up. The plan now was to sell the house, there was nothing else she could do.

Trina made her way into her father's office and pulled open the drawer where his handgun remained. Sucking in a deep breath, she picked up the gun and checked it for bullets. "Still loaded. Why wouldn't you be?" She pocketed the weapon and made her way upstairs towards her former bedroom.

High on the wall on display was a sword she received as a birthday gift. It was sharp and usable. It wasn't long. The blade was a foot in length. She grabbed it off the wall and wrapped the belt of the sheath around her waist. It wasn't her intention to use this or the gun, but she at least had them in the case of defense.

Trina grabbed a hair tie from her dresser drawer and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. With narrow eyes, she opened her closet door to find whatever clothes were left. She grabbed a black sweater and a pair of dark denim jeans.

Afterwards, she returned downstairs and picked up the phones she had laid out on the countertop. One of them, Tori's phone, contained a video of Tori being tortured by the man with the sling. In it, she heard his voice as he mocked the girl he tormented. She paid attention to the voice, listening to the low and deep tone. It was a voice that didn't match the man's skinny and short form. Something unique, certainly.

Then it came, someone spoke to the man from off the video. "Your boss keeps calling Jack." Trina raised her eyebrows and a smirk formed on her lips. "You're enjoying yourself too much, you need to get to work don't you?"

"Shit. What time is it?"

"Five thirty, maybe a half hour till your shift probably?"

"Fuck." The man walked off screen and Trina listened to the background. In the video, her sister's head was bowed, her hair concealing her face, but her body was trembling and she was breathing heavy. "Hey, hey man are you recording on that thing?"

"Pretty sure I turned it off."

"Alright. Can you give me a ride out to Thompson and ninth?"

"Sure."

Trina rolled her head to the right, her eyebrows furrowed and she twisted her lips into a bright smirk. There was one fishery near that particular intersection, so chances were pretty good she might find this guy.

Unfortunately these people had found a way to prevent anyone from tracking the location; but something told her these guys weren't staying in one place for long anyway otherwise they wouldn't have risked it by giving Tori's phone back. Still, either Jack or whoever was filming her sister just now, was one stupid man.

It was time to get moving, for it was around the time that was mentioned in the video. As she drove, she dialed Mr. Sikowitz's number to talk to him on the Bluetooth. "Hey Uncle E, how's it going?" She asked once he answered the call.

"Pretty good," Sikowitz replied, "Did you need something?"

"Yeah." She tapped her thumb atop the steering wheel and slowed upon reaching a red stoplight. "I was thinking about what you said regarding the camp you worked at. Where that group, all their parents went to every summer."

"Oh, okay. What do you want to know about it?"

"You said you didn't have much interaction with them, right? Would you know of anything they all have in common that might result in this?"

"No, I can't say I do. I know they weren't always well liked, people would come to my booth and complain about them, but nothing that would strike me as twenty to thirty years down the line full on kidnapping their children and torturing them."

"I understand." She thought to change the topic slightly, knowing he probably was tired of hearing and talking about all this crap that was going on. "So, you enjoyed your time at the camp?" Sikowitz chuckled softly.

"Yes, very much so."

"If your granddad owned it and your dad owned it, why didn't you carry on?"

There was a pause, followed by a heavy and weary sigh. "There was an incident that happened at the camp." She raised an eyebrow. "One of the volunteer staff ended up killing somebody at the camp and was arrested for it. After that, people didn't want to go out anymore and my father was forced to close it down 'until further notice'." There was a somberness in his tone, one that filled her own heart with a sense of sorrow.

He didn't talk much about his time at camp; but when he did, it was always with fondness. She had a feeling he would have loved to take over and continue running the place, but sometimes things change.

She lowered her voice a bit and studied the streetlight carefully, waiting for it to turn to green. "Do you mind if I ask what happened?" Sikowitz let out another sigh.

"One of the former campers volunteered to work the kitchen when she turned nineteen. She ended up putting something in a few of the teens' bowls that she claimed was only supposed to cause diarrhea and some sickness; but it ended up killing some people, including her own boyfriend. She served twenty years for murder."

"Really? That doesn't seem like-"

"Well at the time, police found evidence of premeditation." She gasped softly and closed her eyes. "She was a strange kid though, I remember very little about her. I just know she was an oddball that attended that camp nearly every year. It was tragic what happened, and it devastated my father. He never thought he'd see the day that place was shut down."

"I'm sorry…"

"It's fine, Trina. Will you be home for dinner, we were planning to order pizza."

"I think I'll be out until a bit later tonight. Should be home by ten."

"Got it. I need to get back to grading papers, so, we'll see you when you get home."

"Okay. Bye Uncle E."

"Bye."

It didn't take long for Trina to arrive at the intersection mentioned in the video, and finding the fishery was easy from there. Upon arriving to the building, she was overcome with the familiar stench. She flexed her hands, then curled them into tight fists.

Her lips pressed tight and she carefully pushed open the door. Her eyes scanned the area inside, it was a standard looking warehouse with workers moving around. They didn't seem to notice as she entered, some of them were drowsy while others were simply focused on their task at hand.

Eventually she spotted a man working with one arm, slinging fish onto a conveyer. He was skinny, had a tuft of black hair and skin that revealed him to be of Latino descent. Trina narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms as she slowly approached this man from behind, noting the sling that his arm was in.

"Oh poor little Jack, it seems the phone was still recording after all." The man froze, his body stiffening as he turned his head. He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.

"Wha-" His voice was deep, betraying his size. Trina curled her lips into a widening grin as she watched his eyes grow wide.

"That smell of fish and alcohol on your breath, I knew it wouldn't be long before I found you."

"Shit!" Jack instantly broke away from his workstation, running as fast as he could. Trina rolled her eyes and took off after him, growling as adrenaline coursed through her veins.

"Don't think you're getting away that easily!"

Jack waved his free arm in the air, calling out as he pushed past his fellow workers. "Move, damn it, move!" Trina dodged the surprised workers, leaping from the left to the right as Jack pushed them to the ground. He looked over his shoulder, knocking over anything he could. "Back the fuck off, lady."

"You wish." She was closing the gap between them, bursting through the door outside. Jack turned to the left, but then bolted to the right. Trina spun around and bolted after him, swinging her arms outwards. "Get your little ass back here, you don't want to piss me off any more than this."

"Fuck you, bitch."

She rolled her eyes and looked to some bystanders in front of him. She pointed out and called to the people. "Stop him, he stole my wallet!" Jack screamed as one of the bystanders, a heavyset man, reached out and punched him square in the chest. As he started to fall, Trina leapt towards him, tackling him to the ground. "Got you…"

Without missing a beat, she dealt a swift blow to his face, knocking the back of his head into the pavement. Thanking the man that helped her, she yanked Jack off the ground and dragged him off to her car.

She then drove the unconscious man to an old abandoned building that she and Tori used to explore when she was a child. She tied the man to a chair and folded her arms across her chest, sneering at him as his eyes fluttered open. "What the hell?" He blinked twice. "My head is killing me." He lifted his head. "Where am I?" When he spotted her, he screamed. "Oh god, what are you-"

"Shut up." She thrust a fist into his face, nearly knocking him over. He howled in pain and she grabbed his shirt, yanking him back and snarling as her glare burned into his eyes. "You're going to tell me what I want to know."

"Fuck that, I tell you nothing."

"Okay." She closed her eyes and released him. She slowly removed her sword sheath from her belt and proceeded to raise it to her shoulder like a bat. The man's eyes fixated on the sword and he swallowed heavily.

"What exactly are you planning to-" She swung the sheathe, sword and all, into the side of his head. He screamed as he fell to the ground.

She dropped the item to the ground and circled him, raising her voice as loud as she could. "You don't have the power here, buddy. You broke into my home, murdered my father, murdered my mother, and kidnapped my sister." He looked up at her, shivering with fear. "Tried to grab me, failed, and thought I wasn't going to come find your ass?"

Trina removed her handgun and fired a shot directly beside his head, causing his body to jerk. He howled in pain and tried to roll over, screaming that his ear was ringing.

"You want to know how close I can shoot without hitting you? I'd like to know."

"Goddamn you crazy bitch!"

"Oh." She laughed. "Only a few people get to call me a crazy bitch." She kicked her foot into his gut, then grabbed his hair and yanked his head up. Her voice lowered to a menacing whisper and her eyes narrowed upon him. "And you guys got them in the same fucking predicament you're in right now."

"Screw you!"

"No, screw you." She pushed his head down, then stood upright. "How many of you are there?" She crossed her arms, watching as the man rolled his head a bit and started to groan. "We can do this as often as you wish, I'm going nowhere without information."

"You're not acting any better."

"Ask me if I care. I will do anything to find them, even if that means beating the shit out of you."

The warehouse door opened and Gary entered, as expected. She called him and told him to come by. He was shocked to see the man on the floor and looked at her with a worried gaze. "What exactly is going on here, Trina?" Trina didn't turn her gaze away from the man.

"I found one of the people that took them, Gary. I'm getting information."

"Trina. This-This isn't the way."

"And what is?" She turned to him. "You want these guys as bad as I do, you want to find Tori's friends. They don't want the cops involved, so what choice do you have?"

"Vigilantism is not the answer."

"What is?" She growled. "Waiting for Mr. Shapiro to realize his son will die whether or not he freezes the police?" Gary frowned, he closed his eyes and turned his head away. "I'm taking matters into my own hands because the police aren't able to act."

Gary walked past her and reached down, slowly pulling the man's chair upright. "You think your father would want this?"

"My father would do whatever it takes. No, he wouldn't want this, but he's not alive anymore. This man is one of those who slaughtered him."

"I know you're angry, I know you want justice and vengeance, but torturing them…"

Jack threw back his head and let out a mocking laugh. "You're in league with the police? So they're not listening to the threats?" He smirked. "Rich." Gary breathed in deep, rolling his head back as Trina raised her eyebrows in his direction. "I guess you don't care whether those fucking kids live or die. Puta."

Gary shut his eyes, moved his hands to his hips and started to chuckle. "You know what? Screw it." To Trina's shock, Gary lunged for Jack, clasping his hands around his throat and slamming him to the ground. Jack cried out as Gary glared into his eyes. "Don't test me." The man's hands tightened and Jack began to gag.

Trina knelt beside Gary, placing a hand onto his shoulder. "Gary?" Gary froze, his eyes growing wide as he pulled his hands away. "Gary, I know it's not right to do it this way, but, I don't see any other choice. I have to do this, I have to find them, and I'm not going to stop."

Gary let out a heavy sigh and rose slowly. "I don't condone murder, Trina. If you go this route, don't lose yourself…don't-" He moved a hand to his face, groaning softly. "Don't do what I just did." Jack continued to cough and groan. "Don't lose yourself. If you must do this, do it, I'll have your back…"

Trina nodded slowly. "Thank you." She knelt beside Jack, tilting her head and waiting for him to finish his dramatic coughing fit. When his eyes met hers, he froze. "Okay Jack, here's what I want to know." She grabbed her sword, unsheathed it and pointed it towards his crotch. He screamed out in horror and started to squirm. "First of all, are they all in one spot?"

"Hell no," Jack answered while staring down anxiously at her sword. "We'd never keep them in one spot."

"Have any of them left the country?"

"We're local, not even a full gang." He began to sweat, his eyes darted rapidly from the sword to her. "Can you pull that thing away please?" She tilted her head to the other side and pressed the tip against his skin, causing him to scream. "Oh god come on! They're all in California, still California! Jesus lady. I'm talking, I'm talking."

"You know…" She removed her phone from her back pocket and pulled up a video of a pig. A smirk spread across her face as she hit the play button and set it beside his head. The pig started squealing fast and loud. "You're not quite squealing like this pig. I want you squealing."

Jack cried out and started to sob. "I'm just a low man on the totem pole, honest. I really don't know locations or anything like that." Still unsatisfied and not fully believing him, she pushed the tip a bit more. Jack started whimpering, his neck strained and he leaned his head back.

"Okay! What I know is one of them is in San Diego. The boss, the boss has like five relatives involved in this shit." Trina furrowed her brow. "They're in charge, one of each has your friends damn it."

"And what about Tori? Why did you guys bring her back?"

"She was in a fucking coma, we didn't know what to do with her! The boss didn't want her dead." Trina leaned her head back slowly and Gary stroked his chin. "The boss thought we could use her as leverage, so we dumped her at the fuckin' hospital. Threaten to sneak in and kill her if the cops interfere."

"How're you going to do that?"

"I don't know."

She sighed and looked down to the tip of her blade. "Oh little blade of mine, do I push more?" Jack screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Okay, okay, the boss has people working for the hospital." Trina's eyes widened and she looked to Gary, who grew pale. "Jesus Christ lady, take that thing away!"

"Funny how you beg for mercy, expecting it when you didn't give it to my sister or her friends…" She stood up and sheathed her blade. "But I'm not a killer. How much do you know about this boss of yours?"

"Not much, honest." There was truth in his eyes. "The boss has been planning for years, that much I know. The boss has been building, the boss's family has been buying and hiring people. We're not a gang, but we're part of the boss's grandmaster plan."

"You know the boss's family is involved, do you know who the hell the 'boss' is?"

"I don't. Any time we get our orders, it's from someone in a mask or someone with a garbled voice. None of us know anything."

"So if I want to get any closer to the truth…" She put her hand on the hilt of her sword and Jack shifted his nervous gaze towards it.

"San Diego! I swear it, San Diego! We were in charge of Tori-you have that."

"Oh. You were?"

"Yes! Yes! We gave her back though, see? We did."

"You hurt my sister. Traumatized her. If she ever wakes from her coma, she may never recover from the hell you put her through." She grabbed the sheath, with the sword still inside, then swung it without thought into the man's knee. Jack screamed as crackling sounds seemed to echo from the blow. "You deserve that. Tori, however, did not deserve what you put her through."

"Oh god…"

"Give me a name." Jack looked up at her and she raised the sheath once more. "Give me a name. Now. Someone, anyone, in San Diego."

"Tricia. She works for one of the boss's captains in San Diego. That's all I know. Tricia Hart."

"Okay…who are these captains?"

"The boss's family members."

A blank expression came over her face and she looked away for a moment. "Where can I find her?"

"She frequents the Lion Pub down there every Friday."

"Was she one of the ones involved in the kidnapping?"

"I-"

Placing her hand on the hilt, she sneered and Jack's eyes filled with fear. "Don't lie to me Jacky. Don't you do it." Tears welled up in his eyes and he quickly nodded his head.

"She was. She's the one that knocked out the boy that night." Trina raised an eyebrow and started to hum. She thought on his answers and was content that she might find Tricia Hart at the Lion's Pub on Friday. "You'll find her at that pub. She's tall, she has short, platinum blonde hair and always wears this opal necklace. She should be drinking an old fashioned."

"Okay. Thank you for your cooperation, Jack. I have all I need." She turned away and left the building, content with the information she gained.

Gary waited as she left, his face somber but his mind filled with furious thoughts. He looked to Jack, thinking of those lost. Jack started to pant, looking up at him slowly.

He would allow Trina this act of vigilantism, he had her back as he promised. If he couldn't act, then her going after these thugs may be his only option. He worried for her though, strong as she was, he didn't want her to be hurt and he didn't want her to lose herself.

* * *

That took a turn. So Trina's on the warpath, she's going to try and find Tori's friends and get them out one way or another. San Diego appears to be the next stop. I wonder what she'll find there, hopefully one of the group will be brought home.


	8. Team on the Move

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 8 (Team on the Move)

"I'm not sure about this," Jason said with concern laced upon his face. Trina leaned forward on the couch, hanging her elbows over her knees and clasping her hands together between them. "I know you're strong, but I don't want to lose you. I know it's selfish, but…"

Trina closed her eyes. "I have to do this." She looked to Jason, seated beside her and furrowed her brow. "Gary allowed it." He nodded slowly and turned his head, casting a glance to Travis and Lindsay, also in the room. Travis was sitting in the recliner while Lindsay was pacing the floor in front of them, her hands curled at her chin and teeth nipping at her knuckle.

She understood their concern, their fear; and to say she was unafraid would be a lie. "What choice do I have? If I wait, they're dead." Lindsay stopped pacing momentarily and sucked in a deep breath. "Mr. Shapiro is too afraid his son will be slaughtered if he doesn't put a leash on Gary and the cops."

"Maybe you should find Robbie then?"

"If only it were that easy." She shrugged. "One of them is in San Diego, but we don't know who." If it were Jade, she could throw on some Halestorm music to comfort the girl. _Dear Daughter_ was always an excellent choice for the moment. "I will be careful, of that you can be certain."

"Do you have to do it alone?" Jason leaned back and Trina arched an eyebrow at him. If he was suggesting to get involved and help her, she didn't want that. She would certainly be appreciative, but she couldn't take the thought of losing someone else she cared about.

"No." She breathed out and moved a hand to his leg. "No, I don't _have_ to do it alone, but I prefer it." He frowned and folded his arms across his chest. Lindsay dropped her arms to her sides and her forehead creased as Trina looked up to the girl. She knew Lindsay would have the same sentiment as Jason, hell, even Travis would. She couldn't risk their lives.

They were each a force to be reckoned with in their own rights. Lindsay was like her, a fighter and a rogue. They had the longest friendship of the bunch, way back in the children's karate classes their parents enrolled them in at only six years of age. In many ways, Lindsay was a bit more professed than Trina, and was taking classes to teach martial arts and physical fitness classes.

Travis was more into boxing and archery sports, so his range was incredible and he could definitely be a help to her if she needed someone to hide out and snipe any of these bad guys. Then there was Jason, he could endure a lot more blows than she could, much like a tank.

"I can't lose my best friends," Trina said with a soft tone. Lindsay let out a groan and narrowed her eyes.

"So we're supposed to do what you refuse to do? Sit and wait? While you go out there getting yourself into situations where you might not come home?" Trina shut her eyes and bowed her head, her hand tightened over Jason's leg and she grit her teeth.

She knew how it sounded, and Lindsay was correct. "I can't be the one responsible." Trina looked at Jason, her gaze connecting with his. "Uncle E would hate me forever if you followed me and something happened to you." Jason chuckled softly.

"He might, but I'd have to tell him that decision was mine and not his."

Travis grabbed his hat off the floor, cleared his throat and moved the hat towards his head. "I'm with Jason and Lindsay on this one, Trina." Trina's lips parted and her heart skipped a beat. "We're not content to just let you go out and not help you somehow. I'm aware Deputy Malone allowed you to do this because his hands are tied, and we're aware that he, and no one else, has said we could join you…but you cannot go this alone. It's too much, and you know as well as I do that I'd be sitting here with Lindsay crushing my damn hand waiting for you to come home."

Lindsay poked a thumb over her shoulder. "He's right you know." Lindsay's eyebrows rose and Trina started to chuckle. "I'd be squeezing his hand so hard." The girl looked towards Jason and pointed to him. "And he'd probably be tearing apart every punching bag that you guys have."

Travis began laughing. "No, Jason would be trying to find out where Trina was so he could go help her."

Trina could see their resolve, and she honestly didn't want to force them back any further. They were as unrelenting as she was. "It scares me to think that anything could happen to you guys because of me," Trina replied. Lindsay frowned and nodded as Jason slowly took her hand in his. "If I let you help me, I would prefer you guys not get involved in a fray unless need be. You guys have other talents, you don't have to put yourselves in danger unless I need help."

"You have to be careful then, Trina." Jason sighed heavily. "Don't just go rushing in somewhere like you apparently did with that one guy." She nodded. She told them what went down with Jack and how she confronted the man, and she agreed, it would be better not to just charge in somewhere she wasn't prepared for. "But you have to know, if you're struggling somewhere, we _are_ going to come help."

"I would expect no less." Trina looked over to Travis and smiled as the makings of a plan formed in her mind. "Travis." Travis raised his head a bit and slid his hands down the armrests of the recliner. "I'm not looking to kill anyone unless it's absolutely necessary. You're gifted with archery, so, sniping."

"You want me to be the 'eye in the sky' type?"

"Something like that. If we have a situation where we need you watching over me, and you can take anyone out, do it; but try to aim for somewhere non-fatal." Travis nodded slowly and Trina glanced at Lindsay. "Linds, you're better than I am with technology. You can hack pretty much anything."

Lindsay crossed her arms and smirked. "Remember when we hacked into the school's camera back in middle school?" Trina blinked twice, then chuckled as an ancient memory surfaced.

"Yes, we saw the Principal and Vice Principal getting it on in the office." She laughed once more as the men exchanged surprised glances with one another. "Hilarious."

She turned to Jason, gazing warmly into his eyes. "And you, you're the master of distraction." He raised an eyebrow. "You can throw your voice, you do impersonations and so much more. You could definitely help the stealth angle." He nodded in consideration. "So I want you three in the backgrounds, where it's safe; only help me when I need it. I'm sure I will."

"You got it," Lindsay replied, "We're there."

Travis raised a hand. "I'm in. Let's take these assholes out." Jason nodded at him and a large smile spread across his face.

"I'm proud of you," he said, "Going out of your way to help Tori's friends. It's the right thing to do, even if you don't like them." Trina chuckled softly and swept a strand of hair behind her ear. "But I'm with you, always. I've got your back."

"Fantastic." She kissed him swiftly on the lips and rose from the couch. "Then let's do this. Let's get idiots back." She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Tori's going to need them. As for the kidnappers, there'll be hell to pay."

"Fuck yes."

"First stop, San Diego. We got a kidnapper named Tricia Hart that frequents the Lion's Pub, she's supposed to know the who and the where. It's time we pay her a 'friendly' visit."

Before too long they pulled up in front of the Lion's Pub. While they passed the journey's time by trying to sing, tell jokes, and go over the plan of action, it still felt like an eternity. They were in Lindsay's navy blue Ford Flex, a nice SUV.

Lindsay was in the backseat with Trina, she had a laptop open and some other equipment in her backpack. "Okay." Lindsay cracked her knuckles and brought her fingertips over the keyboard. "Let's get started and see if our lady is in there."

Trina smirked as she watched her best friend get to work. Jason and Travis twisted around in their seats, hanging their arms over the backs and watching closely.

It didn't take much time before Lindsay was able to hack the bar's cameras, and they knew they didn't have long before they needed to break the connection. Trina scanned the video screen closely.

The bar was fairly linear and straightforward, with a long bar that faced the door. There were four tables off to the right, with only one person seated at one. It was a man in his late twenties, scrolling through his phone. Moving on, Trina spotted the bartender, wiping down the left end of the bar top with a rag.

A tall woman and heavyset man, both clad in leather, were leaving the bar and walking towards the door. Trina narrowed her eyes at the woman, she had long dirty blonde hair and signs of a late term pregnancy. "Okay," she exhaled, "Drinking while pregnant. Bitch, but not the bitch we're looking for." Travis cracked a smirk and began to laugh, but Trina cut him off by raising her hand. "Do not make a star wars joke, please."

"But you opened yourself up to it."

"I don't care."

Jason pat Travis on the back, smacking his lips once. "Sorry man, she's not a fan of the movies." Travis bowed his head and sighed heavily.

"Not a fan of much right at the moment." She continued scanning the bar, growling softly. Eventually, a woman exited the restrooms and made her way towards the bar. "Oh, what do we have here?"

The woman was tall, had a dark leather jacket on and long skinny jeans. Her hair was a short, platinum blonde. She was wearing a pair of shades and running her hands over her shoulders, where a brilliant opal necklace hung.

"There's our bitch now." Trina was filled with excitement and eager to hop out of the car and rush in, but she paused when Lindsay put a hand to her shoulder.

"Patience girl," Lindsay remarked, "We can get her without charging into a public place and causing a commotion. Remember, we're in San Diego, not Los Angeles. Gary might be able to spread his influence, but we don't want to test him."

Trina sighed heavily and leaned back in the car seat, folding her arms across her chest and tapping her nails into her skin.

It was a good forty-five minutes before the woman finished up at the bar. Trina was asleep on Lindsay's shoulder when she was suddenly awakened. "She's on the move," Jason said with haste. Trina looked to the laptop with wide eyes, then glanced outside to see the woman making her to her vehicle.

Travis turned on the car and shifted the gear into drive. "That means we're moving." Trina lurched forward, between the front two seats, and clasped her hands firmly on the shoulders of the chairs.

They followed carefully behind Tricia until reaching a house in a worn-down looking neighborhood. They parked alongside a wooden fence, just out of sight of Tricia's driveway.

Trina hopped out of the car and scurried across the drive and behind a car parked at the curb. She poked her head out and narrowed her eyes as Tricia exited the vehicle and began moving towards her house.

Jason leaned out of his window and began making animal sounds, stopping Tricia in her spot and causing her to turn around and look curiously. Trina darted past the woman from behind and crouched low on her front porch, hiding behind the wooden fence.

Tricia pulled her purse strap over her shoulder and walked to her front door. The woman sighed and began to unlock the door. "Tricia Hart?" Trina asked. Tricia paused and looked over, spotting Trina for the first time. The woman opened her mouth to speak, but before any words came out, Trina sprang up and dealt a swift frontal kick to the woman's chest.

The woman fell back, slamming into the porch's wooden fence and falling over it. Trina then grabbed the railing and flung herself over it, landing with her feet straddling the woman. Tricia gasped out as she reached down and grabbed her neck with one hand.

"I guess you should've waited for the Vega's other kid to come home that night." She narrowed her eyes and Tricia looked from left to right. "You're going to tell me what I want to know, before or after I beat the shit out of you." Her nostrils flared. "Your choice."

* * *

Well, at least Trina's not doing this alone. That may be good, because her friends can probably help keep her stabilized. What are your thoughts on this chapter? The next one is going to be long, I didn't have anywhere to break it apart. To give you a hint as to who is about to be freed, the title of the chapter is "The Survivor". Anyway, give your thoughts on this chapter.


	9. Saving the Survivor

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 9 (The Survivor)

It had not been easy getting information from Tricia, she squirmed and cursed for what seemed to be the longest time; but finally exhaustion got the better of her and she caved. Gary came to pick her up at Trina's urging, slightly annoyed but not voicing any concerns.

She had to thank him because she knew he was bending over backwards, begrudgingly so. It would be great, if like Travis had suggested, if they could find Robbie first and bring him home. Yet, that wouldn't guarantee the survival of the other kids once the police got back into investigating.

Still, it was not Robbie that was located in San Diego. It was Andre. He was locked up in the basement of an abandoned house on the outskirts of the city, under the watchful eye of 'the Boss''s cousin, Marcie Selms.

"I'm coming for you, Marcie." Trina growled low and narrowed her eyes. "And I'm going to find out what it is you're up to." Tricia didn't have a lot more information, it seemed those that worked under a specific captain were only aware of that captain's orders and intel.

Which meant, if she wanted to find out where the others were, she was going to have to make Marcie give up the information she needed regarding the rest of her kidnappers.

"Seems like those who are just working for these 'captains' don't know the whole story," Jason said while turning on the air in the car. He looked over his shoulder and Trina met his contemplative gaze. "Maybe that's their safety net. The less their hired help knows, the less the police can get out of them."

"Yep." Trina leaned into Lindsay and turned her head towards the door, watching the trees and cars pass by them. "And the less that we can find out…That's why we have to get this Marcie person to talk."

"Could hand her over to the police, but then she'd lawyer up and nothing would be gained."

"I've always wondered about that. I know defense attorneys have to do their job and defend their client; but they don't make it easy."

"No, they do not." Jason rested his arm on the cubby between the two seats and looked ahead at the road. "I was talking to Uncle Erwin a bit more about that camp that gramps ran." Trina perked her ears and turned her head. "I wanted to ask about that woman he talked about, the one that went away for twenty years. It's a sore spot for him, it really is."

"I don't see why he couldn't reopen it," Lindsay commented sharply. "It's been twenty-five years, right? Not a lot of people would remember what happened. Besides, it wasn't like it was the owner's fault, it was a stupid nineteen year old camp volunteer that poisoned the food on the basis of a prank."

Jason rolled his head to the right and started to sigh. "True, but there would still be people that could remember, and it was an oversight on the staff to begin with. The cook wasn't watching, he didn't see her put anything in the food."

"But it's been twenty-five years!"

Rolling her eyes, Trina pat her friend's shoulder. "That's enough Lindsay." Lindsay gave a defeated sigh and shook her head. "Uncle E probably has his reasons for not bothering. He's been a teacher for eighteen years now, so he probably doesn't feel like trying to reopen that retreat. Even if he did, it's a sore spot for him."

"Sure."

"But why did that volunteer do that anyway? That's what I'm wondering. I know Uncle E said he wasn't entirely sure."

"He's not," Jason replied, "The only thing he thinks was she was trying to get back at some campers and just got the bowls mixed up. At least that's what she tried claiming in the courts. She never said _who_ she was trying to make sick, but Uncle Erwin is almost certain she was targeting specific people."

Trina raised a hand to her chin and dipped her gaze down. When she looked up, she saw Jason watching her in the rearview mirror. "What are you thinking, Tri? You don't think that has anything at all to do with all this, do you?" She shook her head and raised her shoulders.

"I have no clue, but I'm just wondering. This was in '87, which is also the last summer that all the parents of Tori's friends went. Do you think maybe one or more of them were her intended targets?"

"Why would they be?"

"We know that Mrs. Valentine was one of the 'mean girls' back then. We know Mr. West was _hugely_ popular with the girls, he could have turned her down or something. Mr. Oliver could have conned her on something; and we know how crazy Denise is."

"Assuming she was that crazy back then."

"True." She curled her hand under her jaw and closed her eyes. "I wonder if Uncle E can remember that woman's name." Jason shook his head as Trina opened her eyes partially. She frowned at him and tilted her head to the side. "It was a long time ago, but I'm surprised he doesn't remember."

"He says he pretty much blocked that time out of his mind as much as he could. He remembers she was there every summer. He says she kept to herself and seemed obsessed with science experiments. She always had like a beaker and other things in her cabin."

"Well he knows of her."

"Yeah, he thinks her name might have been Erin or Erica, something to that nature. He doesn't like thinking about her or remembering her any, since she singlehandedly destroyed Grandpa's dream."

"I can understand the anger." She paused, her eyes flickering towards him. "Does he know you're helping me at all? Does he even know what it is I'm doing?"

"No and no." Jason's shoulders fell and he let out a heavy sigh. "He'd have a fucking conniption if I told him. Then he'd probably tell my parents, who would hound me to no end."

"I believe it."

Once they arrived at the home, they parked a ways down the street so as not to arouse suspicion. Travis grabbed his binoculars while Lindsay and Trina turned to look out the back windshield at the house.

"Not many guards on the lawn," Travis remarked, "Jack must not have been kidding when he said they weren't part of a gang. I see maybe two people on the front lawn." He turned slightly, his eyebrows curling in the center of his brow. "One walking around the back." He turned again, towards the left. "A couple people inside."

"Okay…" Trina attached her radio to her hip and started putting in her earpiece while Lindsay hopped out of the car to grab the sword and gun from the trunk.

As for the house, it looked like it had been abandoned for decades. It was only one story, the white wood was cracked and peeling, the windows were broken, and the roof looked as though it had numerous holes. There were no other houses in the area either, which was also chaotic.

It meant at some point, someone decided to build a random house out in the middle of nowhere, then either left or never moved in. "Why has the city not torn this place down yet?" She pushed open the door and turned the radio on. "Of course, it is on the outskirts, so they probably just don't give a shit."

"Think about it," Jason said, his voice coming through the radio. "Are you going to spend money to tear down an old home out in the boondocks or spend money to build a business somewhere?"

"Valid point."

"Do you want our help at all?"

"Tell Travis to get his stuff and get into position somewhere. Jason, you can try and go in and cause whatever distractions you can. Lindsay, if there's any tech inside, you can find a way to access it."

"On it," they replied.

Jason exited the vehicle and moved swiftly ahead of her. She grinned as she followed after him to the hiding spots he located, finally stopping at the nearest tree closest to the one person guarding the back of the building.

She waited as Jason got into position behind another tree and watched him carefully. He looked at her and she nodded. With that, he tossed a firecracker over his shoulder, causing it to go off a few feet away from the man pacing the yard.

The man turned on his heels, looking in surprise at the object. His back was turned towards her, so she utilized the opportunity to run up behind him. She put one hand on his head and another on his jaw, then yanked his head to the right, causing him to drop to the ground unconscious.

"That's one down." She made her way to the back door and paused. "Travis, can you see into the back rooms at all?"

There was a long pause, then finally his voice came over the radio. "Yeah, it looks pretty empty in there. Be careful though, visibility is limited."

"Got it." She pushed the door open slowly while keeping her back pressed against the outside wall. Carefully she peered inside, scanning the room.

It was dark, but still lit up enough by the sun to see well. "A kitchen," she whispered, "Really old." Cabinets were wide open, with some doors hanging off the hinges. The stove looked like something she'd seen out of a 1950's sitcom. The tiled floor was dusty and cracked.

Trina made her way inside, making sure not to step anywhere that there could be traps waiting to set off alarms. "Okay, I'm in." She took a deep breath and kept her back against the walls and her eyes directly in front of her. "Lindsay, do you have access to any cameras?"

"I've found a network that had security cameras lining the inside of the house. Shut them down for you."

"Thanks for the heads up." She rolled her eyes and groaned. "Next time, tell me _before_ I enter, please."

"Sorry Trina, I was trying not to create too much noise."

"Appreciated."

Meanwhile, in the basement of the home, a large video screen and projector was hooked up on the wall. On the screen was Denise, sitting in a room of the prison with no guards, at request of the kidnappers who held her son. "So nice of you to join us," said a woman standing in the center of the room.

She was about the same height as Trina, had dark brown hair that ran to her shoulders with the tips died a blood red. She had signs of age on her face, though only in her early forties. She sported a blue t-shirt with a long sleeved denim jacket and long navy blue slacks.

"What do you want from me?" Denise asked, her quivering eyes betraying the toughness she tried to hold on her face. "Why do you want me here? You think the guards aren't trying to trace the video?"

"We have technology available to prevent that from happening, Denise. It's just…" The woman smirked coldly and tilted her head to the right. "We know you haven't received anything from us thanks to the prison guards intercepting them. But we know they don't want blood on their hands, so telling them to put you alone in a room to watch, otherwise we start killing…well, of course that would work, right?"

Denise rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't." The woman scowled at the device being used to transmit the video. "Where are you people hiding out anyway? I know you've got my son somewhere."

"Ah yes, my cousin mentioned you might still have some pride." As the kidnapper stepped to the side, she revealed Andre, who had been tied to a chair behind her. His arms were tied behind him and his ankles bound to the legs. He had a towel tied around his mouth and his usually neat dreads were hanging loosely in front of his face.

There were about four others in the room, each wielding knives and various torture tools. Denise's eyes grew wide and she leaned forward, slapping her handcuffed fists on the table. "You see, Denise, my cousin wanted you to have a front row seat to the show."

One of the abductors placed his hand on the top of Andre's head and yanked it upwards. Andre let out a muffled scream, his raw eyes filled with tears as he stared at the screen. He leaned forward, struggling in his binds.

Already he'd been bruised from various beatings, his shoulders were sagging and his arms stained with blood. "Andre!" Denise cried out, her voice flooding with anger. "You fuckers."

"It's so funny," said the woman, "You murdered your husband and children. Except this one survived that fire." Denise growled watched with burning intensity as the woman approached Andre with a pocketknife in hand.

"What is your name? What is your name, so I know who to send the next prisoner that gets released after!"

"Marcie." Marcie cackled. "But I doubt you'd be successful in that hit." Marcie put the tip of the pocketknife to the left side of Andre's forehead, causing him to tense and tremble. "This shouldn't phase you at all, Denise. Why should you care what happens to the boy that should be dead?" Denise started to pant, banging her fists on the table and screaming.

"Put that down, damn it. That was then, this is now! Put that damn-" Andre closed his eyes as Marcie slowly drew the blade across his head. It was a light cut, but enough to piece the skin and cause blood to ooze down his face. "Andre!" Denise roared in anger. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because my cousin would see that you suffer." Marcie pulled the blade away, admiring her work as Andre began to sob. "She was so sure that you weren't as vicious as you make yourself out to be, surely a mother must have _some_ sense of maternal instincts no matter how vile they are."

One of the others in the room swung a heavy metal rod into Andre's right shoulder, causing him to bite down on the towel and scream in anguish.

"Goddamn it Marcie, I don't have any money, what is it you want! Name your price." Denise began yelling at the top of her lungs as she watched Andre continue to be beaten. Marcie turned as the men and women in the room strengthened their assault and she smirked with pride at Denise. "Put me in that room for all I care. I'm the murderer, I'm the killer, not him! Leave him be!"

"So sorry." Marcie removed a small napkin from her chest pocket and wiped the blood from her blade. "But I'm afraid that's not my call, sweetie." Denise sank into her seat, panting heavily. She grit her teeth and clenched her eyes shut, trembling as tears ran down her cheeks. "But it's so nice to see you finally give a damn, I'm sure your son will appreciate that as he lives through his final moments on earth…"

"N-No…Please. Take my life instead."

"As fun as this is-"

On the other side of the door, Trina kicked at it until it flew open. Marcie twisted her head around and Denise gasped, her eyes growing wide as her hand flew to her chest.

Silence fell over the room and all eyes turned to Trina, though hers fell onto Andre, who was slumped in the chair with his shoulders and head bent forward. She let out a pant and narrowed her eyes.

"You know, I said to myself I wasn't going to make a movie reference; but I can't help myself." Trina's eyes flittered over to Marcie and she tilted her head a bit. "My name is Katrina, you killed my father, now you'll die." Marcie raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously? A Princess Bride reference? Now?"

"How about this instead?" Her mouth twisted into a cruel smile as she reached down and struck the screen of her phone, playing Halestorm's _Vicious_. "You've got about three seconds to back the fuck away from that boy, or blood is going to be spilt and it won't be his or mine."

"You think you've got control? Who do you think you are just barging in here, huh?"

Glancing sideways to the left, Trina noticed one of the thugs inching towards her. Swiftly, she unsheathed her blade and brought it down against the man's leg, ensuring that she didn't slice too deeply. The man dropped to his knee, howling in pain as he grabbed the injured leg.

She then leaned right, raised her left leg and kicked outwards, hitting the man squarely in the forehead. "Time's up." She lowered the foot and growled. "Who's next?" As she sheathed her blade, she noticed Marcie flaring her nostrils.

Marcie pointed the switchblade towards her and screamed at the top of her lungs. "Get her! Gut her, kill her, I don't care what you do, just take her out!"

"Oh please." Trina scoffed. "You should have asked Andre what happened when three men tried to subdue me." She ducked low as one man tried to swing a punch her way, to her right a woman was crouched and lunging at her with a club. She grabbed the woman's wrist and yanked her towards her while plunging herself forward.

The woman staggered just in time for the third person to swing their metal rod down into her back.

Rising up, Trina performed a roundhouse kick, bringing her heel down on the back of one of the men's neck. She narrowed her eyes and lunged forward, swinging her fist hard against the chest of the second man.

Before the second man had time to react, she gripped the wrist holding the rod and twisted it, forcing him to drop his weapon. Thinking fast, she swiped the rod and slammed it as hard as she could into his right shoulder.

He howled in pain and threw his hand to his shoulder while dropping to his knees. Trina stood in front of him, cracked her neck to the right and smirked. Turning her head slightly, she saw the other man and the woman swinging their fists towards her.

She ducked swiftly, just in time for their punches to soar over her head and strike the man on his knees.

Spying a rectangular window at the top of the right wall, Trina smirked and ran for it. She raised the rod and plunged it through the window, shattering it in an instant.

She twisted around and swung the rod at the man running at her with a spiked club. Before he had time to react, the rod crashed into his elbow, crushing the bone. "Damn this thing is heavy." The man fell to the ground, howling in pain and clutching his injured arm. "So what happens if I hit you in the head with it?" The man threw his head upright as she began to spin it above her head with her hands.

"Oh god no!"

"Oh god, yes." She swung it at him but he ducked in time, falling on hands and knees. Without missing a beat, she struck her foot forward, digging the toes of her boot hard into his sternum. His body jerked upwards and he rolled onto his back, holding his stomach and chest, coughing violently.

She narrowed her eyes and glared at the woman, who instantly threw her hands up in the air. "Please no." The girl dropped to her knees, whimpering fearfully. "I'm not getting paid enough. Please don't."

"Did you stop when Andre begged you to stop? Huh?" She glanced at the screen where Denise was sitting, her expression full of shock, wonder, and partial relief. "How about when that mother there pleaded for you to stop? Did you?"

"No." The girl dropped to the floor, throwing her arms over her head and weeping bitterly. "No."

"Damn right you didn't. So tell me, why should I stop?"

"Because…"

"Because why?" She squinted. "If you say because you want to live, I'm going to have to refer once again to my sister's friend that you've got tied up in that chair."

Marcie growled. "Oh that's right, he's still in here." Immediately Marcie ran behind Andre, yanked his head upright and put her switchblade to her throat. Denise cried out in alarm and Trina turned, snarling at the woman. "How about you drop your weapons before I slit your friend's throat."

"Oh." Trina rolled her eyes. "Of course you'd try that." Trina crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Did you know that snipers can shoot blanks too? Getting shot with a blank may not necessarily kill you, but it's going to fucking hurt."

Marcie raised an eyebrow and hesitated, pulling the blade away from Andre's neck momentarily. "What are you saying?" Trina raised her eyes towards the window behind Marcie, her lips curling into a smirk.

"What? You think I'm working alone?" Travis didn't only have arrows, he was a licensed hunter like his father and they had weapons that allowed them to snipe a target from a considerable distance.

Marcie slowly turned her head, noticing the window Trina had broken seemingly for the first time. "Shit." The shot came without warning and dug into Marcie's back, directly between her shoulders. She lurched forward, throwing the switchblade across the room and falling towards the ground.

"Shit, Trav, a little lower and you could have paralyzed her." Trina ran forward, swinging her blade out and stepping over Marcie's back. As Marcie raised her head, she moved the blade in front of the woman and placed it at her neck. Marcie's eyes grew wide and she started to tense, freezing up. "I would not recommend moving."

"Fuck you."

"Here's what I want, first." Trina pointed her free hand at the screen, her eyes narrowing. "You're going to apologize to that woman for harming her son."

"Are you joking?"

She pushed the blade against Marcie's neck, causing her to gasp. "Do I seem like I'm joking to you?" Trina looked down to her radio. "Linds, she's got the prison people on some sort of video chat. Do you think they can trace it?"

"I don't know," Lindsay replied, "There's some kind of jammer. I doubt they can track these guys. They've got technology on par with the equipment I've got at home, if not better."

"Well shit." Trina looked at the screen. "Denise. Are your guards present?" Denise curled her fingers over the collar of her shirt and shook her head. "Why in the hell not?"

"One of their demands," Denise replied. "Absolutely no one else in the room or Andre dies."

"I've got control of the situation. Have them call Deputy Malone, tell him Marcie and her grunts are in San Diego off Venus Ave. They can't miss the house, it's the only house on the block and it's falling apart."

Marcie screeched terribly. "You cunt, how dare you reveal our-"

"Son of a bitch." Trina removed her sword, yanked her handgun from its holster and brought the handle of the pistol down onto Marcie's head. "Shut the hell up for a moment, I'm talking here." She turned her attention back to her radio. "Jason, come on in here and get these ropes off Andre and onto these guys. Would you?"

Before long, Trina had Andre free from his bounds and sitting in the corner of the room. He was unconscious, but breathing. Marcie and her crew were tied up, with Marcie now sitting the chair Andre had been in.

"You're going to prison for a long time Marcie baby." Trina cupped her hand on Marcie's chin and smirked as she gazed into the woman's fiery eyes. "So what I'm going to ask that you tell me, is who else is involved in all this and why." She stretched out an arm to Denise, who was now joined by Gary on screen. "You're going to answer the question for her as well, because none of these people know why you're doing this. Hell, Denise hasn't even seen her son since she was put in prison and evidently this whole thing is important enough that you would torture her too."

"What exactly makes you think I'm going to tell you anything?"

Trina hummed and walked over to the heavy rod on the floor. Marcie's eyebrows lifted as she picked up the object. "This thing breaks bone, probably shatters it." She turned towards Marcie. "You used it on Andre. Maybe I should use it on you?"

Marcie looked to the right, then the left, muttering under her breath.

"Yeah. Yeah I think I'll do that." She brought the rod to her shoulder, then gripped it with her left hand as well. "You should know, my daddy and I used to play baseball out in the yard all the time." Marcie looked back at her and Trina felt every muscle in her body tense. "And now I can never play baseball with him again. So I'm going to give you three strikes before I use your head like a ball. You're going to tell me why you're doing this, and then you're going to tell me where I can find the others."

"Screw you."

"One." She moved the rod towards Marcie's head, watching as the woman began to sweat. "Why is this happening?"

"You don't scare me."

"Two." She stretched her arms outwards and raised the rod high. "Don't act tough now, Marcie." Marcie turned her head away and closed her eyes.

"I don't care."

"Three. Strike out." She started to swing and Marcie cried out.

"Okay!" Immediately she stopped just beside Marcie's head and smirked. "They picked on her. My cousin." Trina raised an eyebrow and lowered the rod. "They bullied her constantly, day in and day out. Every fucking summer! They didn't even care. It wasn't just the mean squad either, it was their surfer friend and that fucking con artist. They all thought they were better than her and they picked on her every day, so she wants them to pay for that."

"Are you fucking serious?" Trina threw the rod to the ground with a growl. "Andre and his people harass me constantly, and I'm here trying to rescue them! My god...where are the others?"

"I don't know."

"Do I need to pick that rod up again, Marcie?"

"You got a little information out of me, but you're not getting more."

Trina growled and started to reach for the rod, but paused when she heard Lindsay's triumphant yell come over the radio. "I've got something, finally. Trina, hang on." She straightened herself and glared sideways at Marcie, who was staring flabbergasted at the radio on her waist. "It wasn't easy, but I hacked into that computer she's got in there. The one she's using to transmit that video."

Marcie's eyebrows rose sharply and she began to struggle in her binds. "So what did you find?" Trina's hand tensed on the rod and she jerked it towards Marcie, causing the woman to flinch.

"There's an email from some guy named Bruno, says he's got one of the 'brats' in some abandoned farmhouse near north LA." Marcie yelped and Trina leaned her head back, smirking.

"Who's Bruno, Marcie?"

Marcie growled at her. "Stay away from my little brother, bitch." Trina nodded slowly and glanced back at her radio.

"Marcie's got a brother operating at a farmhouse, does the email say anything more?"

"Not much, just about what he's planning to do out there."

"I think I know the place," Travis said, adding his two cents. "I have an idea at least." Trina looked towards Marcie, watching her startled reaction. "The most northern part of LA, there was a farm where my Dad would help out as a kid, lovely old people that lived there. The family owning that farm passed on about ten years or so, and it's just been sitting there. The only abandoned farmhouse in the area. We should check that place out."

Marcie's eyes grew large and she began to stomp her feet on the ground. Trina smirked, confident they may have found their next location. "Thank you for your time, Marcie."

She turned to the door and looked over as Jason picked Andre up off the ground. "You know, I never planned on actually hitting you…I'd rather not bash your skull in before the police can take you."

* * *

A long one. Andre's out though and they have an idea of where to look next. What are your thoughts on everything here?


	10. The First Rescue

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 10 (The First Rescue)

While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, Trina worked on cleaning up Andre's wound. She wrapped his head in a bandage, something she learned to do from watching her mother, and did the same for his arms and his leg.

Andre opened his eyes slowly, groaning painfully. "Trina?" He looked up at her, his eyebrows curling together. "What?" He tried to move his leg but jerked his body and screamed out in pain.

"Stay still," she advised, "Your leg's broken. Though, that's stating the obvious." He began to whimper and sniffle, looking down at his body. It was clear he was likely hurting from all ends, and he wasn't out of danger just yet. "We got you out of there, but I think Gary's probably going to put you in protective custody for a while. Once you're out of the hospital, that is."

"Where am I? Where are the others?" His breathing shuttered and he tried to move his arm, but cried out in pain. "It hurts, god it hurts to move anything. Help me…" Trina sighed heavily and slowly shook her head.

"I'm sorry Andre, I know it hurts. No one can cause you anymore pain, but your body's probably going to be recovering for a while. Even then, I know things aren't going to be fully right for you…" She stood up and he raised his head to her, fresh tears spilt over his eyelids. "As for the others? Tori's in the hospital."

"She is? Is she-is she okay?"

Trina breathed in deep and closed her hands before exhaling slowly. "She's in a coma." Andre lowered his head a bit and stared directly ahead until his chest trembled and a sob broke from his lips.

"Why is this happening?" His voice squeaked out. "What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing Andre, you didn't do anything wrong. It was something your mom must have done. Someone wanted to hurt your mother and used you to do it." Andre leaned sideways, resting his head against a small tree trunk. His body shook with each sob and tears continued to roll down his face. "I know it doesn't make sense right now, I know it's confusing. I'm not going to sit here and tell you that it's going to get better, but just know that you are safe now."

She raised her head as sirens filled the air. Jason approached from behind and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump before turning her head towards him. "Sorry," he said. She raised a hand over his and lifted her gaze to his. "We should probably get moving." Andre lifted his head and cried out.

"Wait!" Trina frowned and looked towards him. "Where are you going? You're not leaving me here by myself are you?"

"No," she replied. "We'll be parked down the street until we know the paramedics have you with them." He furrowed his brow and started to nod. "We're going back to Los Angeles, to find this Bruno guy and whoever is with him."

"Trina?" Andre seemed to be staring straight through her. She stopped and turned back to him, her eyebrows rising. "Would you…Would you hurt us because we were mean to you?" With a sigh, she knelt beside him and brought her hand to his shoulder. She looked into his trembling eyes, studying them for what seemed to be the longest time.

"No Andre." He furrowed his brow and a whimper broke from him. "I might be slightly crazy." She smirked playfully. "But I'm not that crazy. You see, I know it hurts to be harassed on a constant basis, but I also know it's important to look towards the future. Everybody gets picked on at some point in their lives, and some people carry that pain with them everywhere they go when in reality…they don't need to."

"B-But I know at least up to that last night, you were still hurting. Everything Jade said, everything everyone always said."

"Yeah, well…" Her eyes dipped momentarily. She raised her shoulders and breathed in slow. "You know, that was then. Right now, I'm more focused on getting all of you back alive, so I really don't have time to feel hurt or angry about you guys anymore." She rose to her feet and tried to comfort him with a smile. "I forgive you guys, alright? I'm not going to hold a grudge…and I'm certainly not going to rear my ugly face in your lives twenty plus years down the road either."

"Thank you…" He bowed his head, sobbing lightly. "Thank you for finding me." She nodded and looked to him until Jason repeated that it was time to move on.

As she turned around, the sirens started to fade, much to her surprise. She cried out in alarm and looked around. "Where are they going? They're not lost, are they?"

"Shouldn't be." Jason looked around carefully, then up to the skies. When Trina heard the sound of helicopter blades spinning and felt the wind starting to pick up, she glanced to the skies in time to see a large police chopper coming towards them. Along with them was a medical helicopter for airlifting a patient.

"Trina!" Gary's voice rang out over what sounded like a megaphone and she started to groan. "Please wait, I want to talk to you before you go running off." She crossed her arms and groaned, narrowing her eyes as the helicopter began to land several feet away from them.

"I guess that's why they're being diverted." She waited until Gary was situated and leaving the helicopter with some officers and medical personnel. Also with him was Denise, clad in her prison attire and handcuffs. "Next time you could give a heads up, Gary."

"Sorry, I didn't see there was much time to do that." Gary approached her with a sigh. "You did good today, I should say." He looked over his shoulder as the medics tended to Andre. "And you dealt with his wounds too, I see."

"Yeah." She nodded back to the house. "Marcie and her gang are tied up in the basement." Gary pushed his hands into his pockets, looked to the officers with him and nodded to the house. Immediately they took off running. Trina watched them leave and dropped her gaze. "So, um, am I going to be in any kind of trouble?"

"What?" He cleared his throat. "No, no you're not." His lips pressed firmly together and she furrowed her brow at him, concerned that there was something he wasn't saying. "I talked to Thomas, talked to Regina and they both agreed…this is my operation and you have immunity. They will not consider any case against your actions, so long as you aren't flat out killing every criminal involved."

"I'm trying not to, but I can't help it if someone happens to die through self defense."

"I know. Just…be careful. They want to see their children again, and feel like this is the best way to do it without tipping off the criminals. Right now, the kidnappers think the police have shelved the case. What that means is we'll have to act fast, before they realize that you're working in league with us."

Trina swayed gently to the right and looked towards the house. "I assume you three aren't the only ones that know."

"No, my men on the force are aware we have a vigilante working for us." He raised his hand to his brow and grumbled. "Much as I've always been against vigilantism and corruption…" She understood how difficult it was for him, especially given his platform. She did feel guilty for essentially forcing him into such a position, though.

"I'm sorry, Gary." He pulled his hand back from his brow partially and looked at her carefully. "For putting you in a difficult spot, I really am."

"It's okay, I consider it something that needed to be done."

"Yeah…" She looked over to Andre, then Denise, who was standing a few feet away with her head bowed. "I see you brought his mother here." Gary turned around and smacked his lips. "Think that was a good idea?"

"Honestly, given the moment she just experienced…yes." Unfortunately she had to agree, Denise looked like hell when she saw her on that screen. It was a surprising turn of events, so maybe there was something in the woman that she hadn't seen before.

She walked towards Denise while the medics placed him onto a stretcher. "I guess there was some care for him that you had left, huh?" Denise turned her eyes to her and breathed out slowly.

"I didn't think I had that in me, not after all this time." Andre raised his head up, curling his eyebrows together as he looked towards his mother. "But Andre was just still a baby, practically, and I hadn't seen him since. The guards kept intercepting all letters, so I just played it cool; but seeing him in that room for the first time…knowing that he had to stand at deaths door _again_, because of something I did." Denise brought her hands towards her chest and saliva dripped from her lips as her eyes welled up with tears. "I don't know, something in me just broke."

"It may surprise you," Gary responded, "But you are a mother. Andre survived that fire when he was young, he'll survive this too; but you have some remorse. Perhaps that's a good thing."

Denise nodded slowly and carefully made her way to the stretcher where Andre was laying. "Andre…" The boy looked up to her with raised eyebrows, but said nothing. "I can never ask your forgiveness for taking away your father, your brothers, depriving you of the chance to ever know them. They were good people, and I squandered the chance to be happy with them."

"Why did you do what you did?" Andre asked with a raspy voice. Denise closed her eyes.

"I married early, when I was pregnant with your oldest brother. All I wanted to do was party, I wasn't ready to be a mother yet. Then, I got pregnant again with your second brother." She opened her eyes partially and looked away. "Still, I didn't have an interest in the family life, I thought it was boring and spent most of my time away. Your dad and I, we fought a lot because of it. Then, once I got pregnant a third time, I couldn't take it. I wasn't a mother, I didn't want to be a mother."

"But…wasn't Miles like fourteen? You spent fourteen years in a situation you didn't want to be in."

"Yes, because your grandmother raised me and pressured me that leaving a marriage is the worst sin you can commit. She made me afraid to ever leave my husband behind, so I felt like the only solution…" Denise sighed and turned her head. "Andre, I-I can never take back what I've done, but I want you to know something." He sniffled. "I'm glad you survived that fire, and I'm glad you made it out of this hell you were put through. I know you'll probably never come see me, I wouldn't ask that you do; but I hope that you will continue to grow, become stronger and move forward."

"Yeah. I guess."

One of the paramedics stepped alongside Denise and she turned her head towards him. "Ma'am, we need to get him to the hospital now. I'm sorry, but we have got to hurry."

"I understand." Denise watched as they moved him towards the second helicopter that had landed after Gary's. Tears appeared in the woman's eyes and she slowly bowed her head.

There wasn't much to say, Trina was impressed with her. Perhaps one day Andre may try to reconnect, but he needed to heal first. Still, that would be a long road to healing.

She turned towards Gary, sweeping her hands outwards. "Well Gary, it's been a pleasure, but I think we need to be getting a move on ourselves." He nodded and set a proud hand upon her shoulder.

"Listen, I'm proud of you for being strong right now. I want you to bear something in mind though, sometimes the aggressive way is not the best way to finding clues or catching the criminal. You may have hit lucky with Marcie. I know Jack and Tricia were essentially paid kidnappers, but Marcie is evidently loyal to this cousin of hers. Just because you managed to scare her into ratting out her brother doesn't mean that tactic is always going to work."

"I know, I'm sure it won't."

"So if you have to change things up a bit, don't be afraid to. I know you're angry, I know you're on the warpath right now; but you've got brains as well as brawn." He smirked. "Use them."

"Thanks for the advice." She nodded briefly, then joined Jason as he made his way to Lindsay's car. Gary was right, she needed to be a bit more cautious. She showed her strength, proved her power; but from here on out it wasn't going to be as easy as forcing these criminals to talk. She'd have to think things through just a little bit harder.

* * *

So what are your thoughts here?


	11. Surveying the Farm

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 11 (Surveying the Farm)

Driving out to this farmhouse was a long trip, but they were aware time was of the essence. Gary was right, now that Andre had been rescued and Marcie taken in by the police, it was a matter of time before the kidnappers got wise.

This Bruno may have flapped his gums in an email to his sister, but that didn't necessarily mean he was an idiot and would likely move his base of operations if he felt he were compromised. "We need to be extremely careful out here," Trina said, bringing her hand to her right temple and leaning her head against the window. Her eyes watched as what seemed like miles of fences and overgrown grass passed them by.

The others, save for Travis, who was busy driving, were watching out the window as well. "Too quiet," Lindsay remarked, "Good place to get real lost. Makes you wonder why the city doesn't care to clean up." Trina shrugged, unsure of anything in the moment. "I'm assuming stealth is the plan? But first we'll have to make sure this is the place."

"Well, if we see any hired goons, we'll have an idea." Trina chuckled and shook her head. "Interesting the hired people don't seem to have a lot of loyalty so far, do they?"

"They're the ones getting it socked to them the most," Travis replied while glancing in the rearview at Trina. "Marcie got off light compared to those goons that were in that room with her." Trina rolled her head slightly towards him, her eyebrows arched high into her hairline.

"Well, she went straight for Andre and lined herself up for a shot. The others went for me. She kind of made it easy to be subdued." The others nodded, murmuring their agreements. "Glad to have you guys with me though. Andre could've been lost if not for Travis." She smiled and watched as Jason and Lindsay started to pat the man's arms.

Travis waved his hand in the air. "Okay, okay, I need to drive guys." Trina tilted her head upwards, looking at the rearview and swelling with a bit of pride when she saw his mouth turned up into a wide grin.

Lindsay looked up from her laptop and tilted her head. "You know what I was thinking? We should ask Mr. Sikowitz if he remembers anyone being constantly bullied over at the camp." Trina lowered her arm and Jason glanced over his shoulder, giving an affirmative nod. "You guys mentioned he manned a little food and drink shack where people would complain to him about other campers. Surely he's heard something."

"He said the parents in question were not all that well liked and a lot of people would complain." Trina exhaled and looked upwards. "There's a chance he might be able to sift through his memories of those people to find the one person that complained regularly each year; but there's also the chance that person never approached his booth. We can't rely wholly on Uncle E's memories, and I don't want to keep bombarding him about that time in his life."

"Makes sense, it's probably depressing enough knowing he couldn't continue it."

"Yeah."

Finally, they arrived at this rusty metal gate that was ajar, there was a long gravel path running towards a house similar to the one they came across in San Diego. Trina heard Jason scoff and turned her attention to him. "What is it with these guys and shitty, worn down homes?" He extended his hand, palm upwards. "First of all, it's a cliché. Can't one of them at least have a mansion?"

Travis laughed, wagging his finger in the air. "Guarantee you we'll find 'the Boss' living high in a big old mansion."

"Sure, and she'll have Robbie too, right?"

"She might, since he's the bargaining chip keeping the police from acting." Travis turned his attention to Lindsay. "Are there any networks you can hack into here? Place gives me the creeps, to be honest with you."

"It's kind of homey," Trina remarked with sarcasm dripping from her voice. The grass was overgrown, the broken pens and fences were tangled up in weeds, and the farmhouse itself looked unstable, as though it could collapse with the slightest breeze. "I could so see raising a family here, right Jason?" Jason groaned and shook his head at her.

"Sure, what do we want our kid to suffer from first, the collapsing roof or whatever bugs and wild animals are lurking about in those weeds?"

Lindsay was busy typing away on her keyboard, but paused momentarily to raise an eyebrow at them. "The two of you start having kids anytime soon, and I'm demanding a freeze put on your sexual activity." Jason grinned from ear to ear while Trina couldn't help but to start laughing.

"Uncle E's already done that," Trina said plaintively. Lindsay huffed.

"And has it stopped you?"

"No. Not at all. We just don't do it under his roof." Lindsay looked to her with a half-lidded expression. "So…did you find anything?" Lindsay returned to her computer and sighed.

"There is one network out here. Literally, only one network…I'm trying to hack into it now." Her eyes darted towards Travis. "Trav, see if you can't spot anyone out there."

"On it." Travis grabbed his binoculars from between his feet and started to scan the farm grounds. After almost a full minute, he pulled the binoculars away from his face and furrowed his brow. "I see nobody standing guard or walking around. I could be wrong, there could be some people hiding out. Lots of hiding places…"

"See anyone in the house?" Jason asked. Travis hummed slightly and returned the binoculars to his eyes.

"Let me see here…" He clicked his tongue and pulled them away once more. "Just saw someone walk past a broken window beside the door. Somebody is inside."

"Okay." Jason turned towards Lindsay, focusing on the computer. "Any luck with that network?" Lindsay smirked almost triumphantly and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm in. Located a computer." She raised her finger over a button and her smirk flashed to a toothy one. "Turning on the webcam now." She struck the button and a camera screen opened on her laptop.

What it revealed was a dark room, dimly lit by the sun coming through the window. In that room, a person was standing against the wall with their arms raised in a Y form.

Trina leaned towards it, frowning when she studied the captive figure. It was a man, tall and thin. His arms were shackled to the wall along with his ankles. His hair had been completely shaven off, he was wearing a cotton eye patch over his left eye and had numerous slash marks along his upper torso and thighs.

"Beck." She leaned back abruptly. She was disgusted by what she saw, the man had been mutilated and it was hard enough to see the injuries that were evident. She was angered, ready to lash out at those who'd done this; but knew she needed to remain calm. "It's Beck. No one else in the room with him?"

"Not that I can see with the webcam. I don't know what window that is either." She looked up. "Travis?" He shook his head slowly.

"I'm not seeing any windows showing someone trapped inside. It could be a room on the side or in the back, for all I know."

Trina had to think on a plan of action now, since neither Lindsay or Travis could see anyone. She rubbed her hand along her chin, considering her options. "Linds, can you tell if there are any cameras set up inside like there were at the last place?" Lindsay shook her head, an unsettling feeling. "They don't even have the place wired? Beck is in there, a room by himself it seems like; but there are no visible guards or cameras inside. What's the catch?"

"There's got to be guards somewhere," Jason remarked, "They wouldn't just leave Beck in there without having eyes on this place."

"Well we know someone is inside," Travis said, "Just not how many are inside. I'd keep an eye out for anyone that could be hiding out there. We may want to assume they see us."

Trina looked outside, studying the place until she noticed a dirt road going around the farmhouse. "Let's drive on that path a bit, see if we can't study the perimeter." Travis set his binoculars down with an affirmative nod and shifted the car into drive.

As they drove onto the dirt path, they made sure to drive as slow as possible. This time Jason took the binoculars, studying every inch of the area that he could. "I'm not seeing much of anything on this side. Hedges, trees, and weeds…ample hiding spots." Trina snapped her fingers and narrowed her eyes.

"If they can hide, so can we."

Travis onto the next street, driving behind the farmhouse. At one point Jason called for him to stop, so he slowed to a halt and Trina perked up. She scanned the area in an attempt to see if she could spot whatever it was Jason had.

"Look, there's a cracked window on the left side of the building." She traced the building with her gaze until she spotted the window. "I see what I think is Beck. That is one fragile as hell window, you could easily break it and get him out."

"Sure, but with not knowing who all is in there or how many there are, that might be a risky bet. Plus, we want to catch this Bruno guy." She clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes. "We want to make him pay."

"Focus on the more important goal, Trina."

She sucked in a deep breath and loosened her grip. "You're right. Beck is the priority. Still, we should try and subdue this Bruno, otherwise he could warn the other kidnappers."

"Sure." Jason scanned the area with the binoculars. "It's a lot less cluttered in the back. Open spaces, not a lot of hiding spots." That meant fewer potential guards hiding out in the back; but it also came with the risk of being caught in an open area. "You could take this route, break that window and get in there. Grab Beck and get out. Then we could focus on finding Bruno if he's in there."

"Not a bad idea. If Travis watches our back, we could get in there." Travis nodded slowly as Trina took the binoculars from Jason and peered through them. Her eyebrows curled in the center and her lips twisted into her cheek as she scanned the area.

Indeed it was open, with only one tall tree between them and the house. The grass had grown thick, but there were a lot of dirt patches strewn about as well. She couldn't find a spot that she could personally hide behind, but to that same token, only one spot would be viable for any posted guard.

Lowering the binoculars, her nostrils flared and her eyes studied the broken window. "Okay, we can do this. We'll have to get up close to the house just to see if we can't spot anyone inside." She was certain Bruno and the others were in the house. They would have to act fast and silently, so as not to be caught. "Jason, would you prefer going along the side with more hiding spots or the back?"

"I'll go wherever you need me to be. My size, I'd be spotted like an eyesore, so it would be easier for me to traverse the side of the building where I find some hiding spots. You're faster than I am, so the back could be easier for you to maneuver."

She agreed and quickly snapped her fingers. "That is what we'll do." Clearing her throat, she reached over and pat the laptop. "Linds, keep an eye focus on the camera in Beck's chamber. If you hear anything like footsteps, doors opening and closing, voices, let us know. If you see anything-"

"I'm on it."

She smiled and put her hand on the door latch. Her eyebrows rose and she lanced to Travis. "Watch our backs with your sniper, okay Trav?" He tilted his hat to her and pushed his door open. "If anyone sees us that we don't see, let us know so we have time to act."

"I will."

She opened her door and exited the car, Jason soon followed suit. "You have an easier time knocking someone out than I do, Jason." He turned to her and furrowed his brow. "If you get up behind them or can take them out, please do. I'd like to avoid getting caught by these bastards until we have the advantage over them." She shrugged her shoulders and shook out her arms. "Our first objective is getting into Beck's chamber and removing him, obviously dealing with anyone that's inside that room at the time. After that, we can search the place for Bruno, he's likely to be inside that house somewhere."

The trunk popped open and Trina reached inside, grabbing any items and equipment she needed. Jason unzipped a duffel and grabbed his own devices. "I think we're set with the plan." She breathed in and turned her glare to the house. "Hang in there Beck, we're on our way."

* * *

So Beck's at the farm, and Bruno is somewhere in that house. It's on. Looks like they've got a decent plan in the works, to get in there and get out. Good thing Trina values their help, because surely it would be much harder without them.


	12. Luck and a Father's Pride

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 12 (Pride and Luck)

Trina made her way to the wooden fence, crouching low and curving her fingers over the wooden beams. As she peered across the yard, she turned her gaze to the right to see Jason jump the fence and crouch low behind a tree trunk.

She slid underneath the fence and rolled onto her chest, laying where the grass covered and concealed her body. "Okay." Pushing herself up slightly, she scanned the area and listened for any potential sounds of someone walking around. When she heard nothing, she glanced to the house to see if anyone was standing near any windows.

The only window that wasn't boarded up was the one looking into Beck's chamber. That said, there were only two other windows on the back side. Trina crawled towards the open area, pushed herself to her feet and darted to the tree in the center of the yard. "Trina," Lindsay said over the radio, "I found something interesting."

She leaned her back against the tree and poked her head out, scanning the area with narrow eyes. "What did you find?"

"Bruno has a Facebook account." She jerked her head back slowly and curved her lips into a smirk. "Though apparently, he hasn't used it. It was created five years ago and he's only made a few meager posts. The last one was like three years ago."

"So essentially he had an account, and forgot about it."

"Yep. I hacked it too, easy password."

Her heart swelled with pride. "That's my girl." Lindsay chuckled in response. "What did you find out? Other than his last name is most likely not Mars."

"Ugh, you and your celebrity jokes…" Trina flashed a toothy grin and waited for Lindsay to recover. "One of his earliest post refers to his cousin. He says he's going to pick her up from prison, that she's finally getting out and he's thrilled." Trina raised her head up slightly and furrowed her brow.

"That's interesting," Jason commented, "So we now know that he has a cousin that did time and was a part of the camp where Beck's father was one of their bullies." Trina nodded, connecting the pieces in her mind as well. Now, she had to wonder if this was the same person they knew of that went away for twenty years-or if the two were even connected in the slightest. "What family members can you find, if any of them are even out there?"

"Well, it doesn't look like this cousin of his has an account." Lindsay sighed in exasperation. "His sister has a Facebook, but it 's also not very used." There was another long pause, then Lindsay's voice came over with a tinge of intrigue. "Bruno is, or at least was at the time of his profile being created, married. He's got a wife and kid."

Trina's jaw dropped and she looked towards the house, unable to contain her surprise. How could this man, married and with a child, possibly kidnap somebody's son and torture them like this? "You know," Jason started, "We can use that to our advantage." She hesitated, considering his words. "Surely he cares about that kid of his. He wants to drag another man's kid through the mud but has a kid of his own? Why not bring that up with him, see if he'll break."

"Worth a shot to keep that in the back of your mind, Trina…It looks here that he's got a son. At the time of creating his account, he put up a couple family photos showing that son to be roughly six or seven years old. He's not a large guy either, I was visualizing a large guy, am I the only one?"

Trina shook her head. "With a name like Bruno, I was kind of picturing the stereotypical overly muscled criminal with a heavy accent." The men laughed over their comm. "So, what is he, like average build?"

"Yeah, I'm seeing average build, with maybe a little beer gut. Bald, has a black goatee with his beard hanging maybe an inch off his chin, probably standing about six feet. Looks like he's got a motorcycle too, I'm seeing a red Harley Davidson pictured."

"Funny you mention that," Travis remarked, "There's a red motorcycle parked along the right side of the farmhouse."

"Cool, so he's definitely in the building, Trina."

Trina clenched her fist and pumped it in the air. "Thank you for that." She looked out once more, confirming that it was all clear on her end. "Jason, is it all clear on your end?" She heard somebody grunt and fall into the dirt, so she looked towards where Jason was and raised her eyebrows when she saw him standing over an unconscious man. He looked out at her with a thumbs-up signal. "Okay then. I'm making my move. Travis, cover me, Jason keep an eye out."

She sprinted for the cracked window, keeping her eyes focused on her target in sight. Once there, she looked to the left, then the right, then peered carefully into the window.

Seeing Beck once more turned her stomach and she growled lowly. There was someone else in the room, sitting in a chair behind the laptop. It was a woman of fair complexion, she had short auburn hair. She was leaning back against the corner wall, her head bent and eyes closed.

Trina watched her carefully, noting how calm her breathing was. "Looks like someone's in there, sleeping." She pressed her palms on the window and pushed upwards to see if it was locked; but to her amazement, it slid open with ease.

"I've got eyes on you," Travis said, "You're all clear. Got eyes on your window as well, I see the woman inside. My sights are trained on her if you need me."

Trina nodded slowly as she placed her hands on the edges of the window and carefully climbed inside. Keeping an eye trained on the woman, she carefully made her way to the laptop in the center of the room. With a smile, she crouched low and waved at the webcam.

Lindsay's surprised voice came over the radio. "Hi Trina!"

"Hi," she whispered, "I'm turning the camera towards the door and moving it to the corner so you can get a full view of the room. Let me know if anything changes about the room."

"Can do."

She picked up the end table the computer was on and carried it to the farthest left corner, angling it out towards the room. Once done, she stood and peered around the place.

It looked as though the room used to be a bedroom, or at least that was the feeling she got. It was a small box shaped room with a door on the farthest left side. There was cracked wooden flooring and ancient floral wallpaper that had yellowed with time.

Any furniture that had been in the room was removed, likely due to Bruno rather than any former owners or family members. Turning her attention to the still-snoozing woman, she raised an eyebrow at her and tilted her head. "Heavy sleeper…Now what am I going to do with you? You aren't attacking, so I don't need Travis to shoot you. Yet."

Jason poked his head in the window. "Trina." She looked over sharply and watched as he raised a pair of handcuffs into view. "Want one of your dad's cuffs? Might help." She hurried over to him and took the handcuffs graciously.

"Good thinking." She kissed his lips, then ran over to the woman. Carefully and slowly, she took the woman's right arm and moved it behind her chair. She did the same with the left arm, then bound them both with the handcuffs. Next, she grabbed the small leather sack attached to her belt and pulled out some silver duct tape.

Once she placed the tape over the woman's mouth, the girl finally woke up with a start and started shouting, though her shouts were muffled. "Guess guard duty was too boring for you, huh?" Trina smirked with pride, then struck the woman in the head to knock her out before she began making too much noise.

Trina searched the woman in case there was any importance and stopped upon finding a key ring with a small key attached. "What's this? Is it important?" It was separated from the set of keys that clearly belonged to the woman's car and home. So she took the one and made her way over to Beck, feeling like it might unlock his binds. "Why the hell is this one so easy?"

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," she heard Jason say.

"Good point." She stood before Beck, breathing in deep. His head was bowed and his one free eye was shut. His hands hung loosely from their binds. His chest was moving in and out, and when she put two fingers to his carotid artery in his neck, she could feel a pulse.

She gazed at the shackles on his wrist, then his ankles, and unsurprisingly there were locks attached to them. Crouching low, she attempted to use the key on the right ankle lock, and it slid in perfectly. "Posted guard had a key. Like every video game cliché on earth."

"Makes sense if you think about it though, the second Bruno decides they need to move Beck for any reason, the guard can spring to action and start unlocking those shackles."

"True."

She unbound Beck's ankles and then freed his left arm. That was when he woke up, his voice groggy and weak. "Wh-Trina?" His eyebrows curled inwards and he started to whimper. "What are you doing here?" She moved his arm over her shoulder and looked to the window where Jason was waiting.

"Getting you out of here, but I need you to be quiet okay?"

"They…"

"I know, it's going to be okay." His body started to shake as she freed his other arm. She helped him over to the window where Jason reached his arms in.

"Alright bud," Jason said, "Let me help you out."

"Trina," Lindsay interrupted with urgency, "I shadows moving under the door." She froze her eyes darting over to the door just as the knob began to turn. "I think you've been found out."

"Do you think they had remote access to the webcam also, Linds?"

"I think so. They've been watching too."

"Shit." Just then the door swung open. "Beck, I'm going to need you to sit down for a second." She helped Beck take a seat under the window and motioned for Jason to climb inside. He nodded and quickly entered the room.

Bruno walked in with five other men, his arms were crossed and he cast a steely glare on her. "Did you think you were just going to walk away with him?" Beck pulled his knees to his chest, wrapped his arms around them and buried his face into his legs. His entire body started to shake and fearful whimpers fell from his lips.

"Before we begin, I'd like to ask you a question." Trina moved her hand to the hilt of her sword. "First question is how loyal are the men standing with you? Are they hired help?" Bruno furrowed his brow as his men began to look at each other.

"What does it matter?"

"They may not be willing to die for you." Jason waved his hand in front of the window and Travis fired off the warning shot. The men jumped and looked to the bullet hole in the wall. Bruno turned his head and grit his teeth as two of the men bolted from the room.

"Cowards. I'll string you two up after this." Bruno lowered his arms and walked forward, growling under his breath. "Don't think I'm scared of you or your sniper."

"What would your son say about this, Bruno? Or your wife, even?" He froze, his eyes opening wide. Lindsay's voice came over the radio, drawing the man's gaze towards it.

"I was able to hack his facebook account and find some phone numbers. I think I'll give his wife a call, see what she thinks about all this."

Bruno began growling, his lips pulled back into a snarl and his hands clenched tight. "Bruno, Bruno, you have a son and yet you kidnap another man's child and torture him?" She swept her arm out towards Beck. "What if that were your son sitting there, curled up in a ball and crying his scared little heart out? How would that feel? You'd have to feel pretty powerless, just like his father. Unable to do anything, unable to even talk to his son."

She watched Bruno closely, waiting to see what he would do next. Eventually, his shoulders dropped and his gaze softened, if only for a moment. "I was only eleven when my cousin went to jail, you know. I looked up to her, she was smart, always coming up with these amazing inventions. She was going to be a scientist, change the world some day. They called her strange, she always had her nose in a beaker, so they made fun of her for it."

"Yeah well, kids talk a lot of shit. It's life. I got harassed day in and day out, but you don't see me going out and torturing my harassers."

"It isn't that simple." Bruno's forehead tensed and he grit his teeth. "She lost her boyfriend. I watched as her mother withered away waiting for her daughter to be brought out of prison. My aunt. She had a heart attack, and then my uncle committed suicide. He never could understand what she'd done. She blamed them for all the deaths, even her parents."

"So she became crazy, began to blame the world and play the victim card. Now she's free, and lashing out at the people she feels are responsible for everything that went wrong in her life." Trina rolled her eyes. "I guess some people just don't know how to pick themselves up and move forward with their lives. There's no reason, no reason on earth for doing these things Bruno. Don't you see?"

Trina pointed once more at Beck. "Look at him, look at him and imagine that is your son sitting there." Trina wagged her finger in the air. "Nobody, and I mean _nobody_ has ever been perfect. Everyone has been mean to somebody at one point of time or another."

"Fair point."

"Think back to when you were a kid, was there anyone you picked on? I'm sure there was."

Bruno shrugged and looked back to the men in the room. The hung their heads, each confirming for themselves Trina's words. Bruno let out a heavy sigh. "I used to take the milk from little Jimmy during lunchtime back in middle school. Or the bag of chips he brought home."

"Okay. Picture Jim now, picture him where your cousin is right now. Picture your son, being relentlessly tortured over that milk and those chips." Bruno closed his hands firmly, staring near defiantly at Beck for what seemed the longest time.

Trina waited in the silence, her hand ready over the hilt of her blade. Bruno sucked in his lower lip and his body started to slump. He raised a hand over his mouth and closed his eyes.

"Now if you don't mind, Bruno. We are going to take him to his father." She approached him slowly, stretching out her arm and watching as a tear rolled from his eye. "But, since I don't trust you to turn yourself in…"

"I will," he said with a low whisper, "My son…I would go insane if I knew my son were in this situation. I-I always said I'd follow Erin to the ends of the earth." Trina furrowed her brow and looked over, making eye contact with Jason, who shot his eyebrows up high.

"Where's Erin now, Bruno?"

"I can't say, because I don't know. She's always been closest to her sister, her sister is the one that saw first-hand the death of both her parents. She's filled with as much hatred as Erin; but I don't know where she's at either. The one that would know would probably be Hector, their brother."

She pulled his arms behind his back and placed another set of handcuffs on his wrist, nodding slowly. Jason started making his way to the other men in the room, cracking his knuckles as they dropped to their knees.

It seemed at this point, no one wanted to deal with a fight right now. Now that Bruno had clearly given up. "Any idea where we can find Hector?"

"He'd sooner kill me for it, but he works the night shift over at that karaoke joint downtown." Trina furrowed her brow and raised a hand over her face. "Have you heard of it? Karaoke Doke? He's the K.J. there."

"I…" She took a slight step back and huffed. "May have heard of that place before."

Lindsay's voice came over the radio. "I've contacted Gary, he's on his way." Trina nodded and moved over to Beck. Jason followed and placed a hand onto Beck's shoulder. "Come on, let's get you out of here man." Beck raised his head up and allowed himself to be picked up and moved out the window.

Before Trina went through, she jerked a thumb over her shoulder and looked to the men bound on their knees. "Bear in mind guys, if anyone tries anything funny, my sniper is still trained on you." Bruno bowed his head, still bearing a shameful look in his eyes.

She exited the building and helped Beck to stand on his feet. Jason draped Beck's left arm over his shoulders and Trina did the same with his right. "No spilling blood today," she said proudly, "Good call on Lindsay's part catching on that he had a kid himself.

"We still got lucky," Jason remarked. Trina nodded, figuring that Bruno may simply have not been as eager as his other relatives to be involved in this mess. "Meanwhile, I guess we all know who to go after next."

She dropped her gaze and slowly shook her head. "Shit. I can't believe it."

Beck raised his head slowly, groaning softly. "Where…Where's Jade?" Trina and Jason turned their heads to him and he began to breathe heavily, his eyes growing wide as he looked around. "Is she safe?"

"We're going to find her Beck, don't you worry." She reached for her radio. "Lindsay, can you look up that K.J. Find out anything you can about him."

"Already on it, Trina. Hector Louis, I'll have some dirt dug up on him soon enough."

"Thanks, I'd be lost without you guys."

"Aren't you glad we tagged along?" Jason smirked playfully and Trina started to smile, knowing full well just how important they were to her mission and how much harder things might be if they weren't there.

"Maybe later Jason, we can make a stop somewhere for a bit and I'll show you just how glad I really am." A smirk grew on her face and she watched as Jason's face turned red. Beck looked between the two of them, then glanced over to Jason.

"Hey…isn't that Mr. Sikowitz's nephew? From like, that one night?"

Rolling her eyes, Trina let out a heavy sigh and slowly shook her head. "Everything he's gone through that's the first real thought he has of being free?" Jason shrugged.

"I'm guessing Tori's friends never really paid much attention."

"You've been in the damn house at the same time! How could you be that unnoticeable?"

"Think about it. Your sister's friends."

She paused and took one more look at Beck, now eyeing the police cars in the distance. "Yeah." She started to chuckle, her expression growing calm as relief swept over her. She was just thankful to have another one of them safe. "You're right Jason, besides, you and I probably spent more time in my room than anywhere else. At least whenever they were over."

Beck's head bobbed a bit and he started to turn, his thoughts clearly being distracted by them. "You two are more active than me and Jade, aren't you?" They smirked at him, but remained silent. His jaw dropped open and he looked away. "Wow."

* * *

Eh I honestly couldn't think of a good title for this chapter...Anyway, go team, seems like they found something they could exploit, but definitely Jason's right, they got lucky with that. It'll only get harder from here on out, most likely. The news about the karaoke place can't feel good, so we'll see what happens next. Not gonna lie, given how important Cat's and Robbie's parents are, I think it's easy to guess which of the members of the group is next. What are your thoughts on this chapter? What are your thoughts on the revelations? The pieces of the puzzle are slowly coming together.


	13. To Pay in Blood

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 13 (To Pay in Blood)

Sitting outside the karaoke place, Trina tried not to think of the time that had been spent there. She hadn't gone there personally, but her sister and a few of her friends wound up having some issues with a couple girls at this location. "It's a karaoke bar that serves alcohol like any other bar, yet they let minors here." Trina crossed her arms and looked in disgust at the place.

"Most bars allow minors so long as there's adult supervision," Jason remarked, "I wouldn't personally take my kid into a bar. If I wanted to take my kid out to dinner somewhere, bars are fairly low on the list of places I'd go."

"I hear their wings are good," Travis said, "And then the kids meal style buffalo nuggets. They're not bad either for someone with the munchies." Trina grunted, having never been a huge fan of wings. "Anyway, Linds, you have an eye inside?"

"Yep." Lindsay motioned to the camera on her screen. Trina looked to the K.J with a disgusted grunt, unsure how he could act so normal and carefree knowing he had a hostage somewhere. "But I've got other info through looking him up. I know his address."

"You think he's got one of the group at his own house?"

"Not sure about that." It didn't seem all that likely, though it had been done by criminals in the past. Trina leaned her head back and stretched her fingers out over her knees, an impatient sigh drifted off her lips as she gazed out at the building. "You know, apparently his shift isn't even up for another few hours. If you wanted, you and Jason could probably go out somewhere and get some rest, I know you two have been dying to have a date."

Trina raised an eyebrow and started to speak, but it was Travis that beat her to the punch. "You know Linds, that's a dangerous offer." Lindsay's eyebrows flattened and a huge grin swept across the man's face. "I'll tell you what those two have been missing, it's a little game called 'lust'."

Jason shared a cheeky look with Trina and turned a smirk towards Lindsay. "Should we ask the great Lindsay for permission to go out and have ourselves a bit of fun?"

Trina began laughing, a bit maliciously. "I don't know, do you think mama bear will let us?"

Lindsay rolled her eyes, growled and turned back to her computer. Her lips pressed firmly together and her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Aw Lindsay, you know we're teasing."

"Whatever," Lindsay replied with a snort.

Jason shook his head. "Besides, I know Trina's not in any kind of mood for a date." Trina nodded in reply, she was too focused on task. "There's not a moment to lose, and she'd be worrying too much to enjoy herself if we stepped away for any amount of time."

Trina leaned forward, reaching around the car seat and hugging Jason's neck. He smiled as she kissed his jaw. "We'll have ourselves a damn good date when all this is done," she said with s soft smile. "I promise, I'm not going to worry so much I don't give you some attention, sweetie."

"You can take all the time you want, I'm not going anywhere."

"Good." She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, sighing contently. "Because I don't know what I'd do without you." He raised a hand up and cupped it over her arm. His voice softened and a warm smile grew on his face.

"I love you."

She rolled her head upright. "Love you too, Jason." One of the biggest things that thrilled her about him was that he understood her. They've had their disagreements, ups and downs, but in the end they understood and respected one another.

Pulling away, Trina looked at Lindsay's computer with a sigh. "You know, Bruno mentioned Erin. That was the name of the woman Uncle E was talking about. I think we need to see if the parents know a little bit more about her."

"Call one up and ask about her?" Lindsay shrugged and raised her head. "I mean, I can look the woman up, but you're probably wanting to know a bit more."

"Yeah, I want to get down to the personal bits you're not going to find out online. Such as, did they pick on this girl? Who was she to them, why would she be attacking their children?"

"Of course."

Trina reached for her phone and chewed the corner of her lower lip as she considered which would be the best to talk to. Janet seemed the most honest, or at least, the most grounded despite the current situations. Sure, she had to be falling apart like every parent, but she may not be personally affected by this Erin woman.

"Ms. West it is." She dialed the woman's number and put the phone on speaker. As she set the phone on the seat beside her, the other three turned their gazes to the device. Janet answered after about three rings, her voice sounded weary and rough.

"Hello? You've reached Janet West."

"Hey Ms. West, this is Trina. I know things are tense, but are you holding it together?"

"Trying my best. Can't say the same for Henry, but I'm trying to be here for him." She admired the woman for that. It had to be difficult, and it showed just how strong she really was. "I'm not sure how much more we can take. They keep sending things that…" The woman let out a heavy sigh and her voice quivered. "It's not good."

"Can I ask how bad it is?"

"They're hurting her." A flicker of anger lashed out in the woman's voice. "In ways…I need to be there for her, she needs her mama. She needs her father. This-This is killing us."

Trina closed her eyes and started to frown, she shook her head slightly and felt a rush of anger coursing through her veins. It was going to take everything in her not to kill these bastards on the spot. "Miss West, I really hate to bother you during all this, but I have something I need to ask."

Janet sighed. "I'll do my best to answer whatever you have."

"I know you started going to that camp in the last few years, it's where you met Mr. West."

"That's right."

"Do you remember a girl named Erin?"

There was a long period of silence and Trina furrowed her brow at the phone, afraid that she'd lost connection. "I know about her," Janet answered finally, "Yes."

"Everything okay? Thought I lost you for a second."

"Yes. Henry's here with me, he just had a panic attack. Sorry about that." Janet cleared her throat. "Erin is that girl that used her science experiments and poisoned the chili being served that day. Henry actually survived that." Trina's eyes grew wide and she brought a hand to her chest, her lips parted briefly. "Took a bite of it but didn't eat it all, Keith was talking to him and wanted to show off how much money he made off his latest con."

"Okay…"

"At that point others who were eating the chili began to get sick. Henry started to feel nauseous and went to bed. I was there to nurse him back to health, but others weren't lucky. Erin's boyfriend at the time ate that chili and died as a result. I remember that."

"Why did she do that? Someone mentioned she was picked on a lot. Do you think-"

"Yeah, not a time that Henry is overly proud of but he and Keith, and the girls, would harass her every summer. She was an oddball, secluded herself in her cabin and worked on all sorts of experiments, they made fun of her for that. Regina and the girls were probably worse about it, but Keith, Thomas and Henry were in no way innocent."

"What did they do?"

"Thomas broke one of her experiments once and laughed at her for crying over it." Trina shut her eyes and growled low. "Keith tried to sell her this bottle of what he said was an important chemical she needed for one of her projects; but it was just a bottle of orange juice."

"Okay…"

"Then it came out that she had a crush on Henry, so the boys got together and embarrassed her publicly with Henry telling her he'd never like someone as 'strange and freakish' as her."

"Okay, so all you guys did a lot of really bad things to her." Janet cleared her throat and Trina envisioned her giving her a questionable look. "Maybe you personally weren't involved, but I'm starting to understand the pieces of the puzzle a bit more. What all the parents did to her wasn't called for; but what she's doing now and what she did back then is beyond unacceptable."

Suddenly Janet's voice shifted and fear erupted from the woman. "You think she's involved in this?"

"I don't know for fact…"

"She tried to kill them back then, you know." Trina raised an eyebrow."She was targeting them. Regina, Denise, Henry, all of them. I was sitting next to her boyfriend when he was eating from one of the tainted bowls and he was talking to one of his friends about Erin's plan. He said she was putting a homemade laxative in their bowls just to get back at them."

"How did the bowls get so switched up? How did they hit the wrong targets? I mean, if only Mr. West got one of them…"

"Keith was too busy flapping his gums and I don't think he was hungry. Regina wasn't a fan of spicy chili, and it was supposed to be spicy, so she gave her bowl to somebody else. Denise had gone to the restroom and didn't come back until after everyone was getting sick, so somebody told her not to eat the chili."

"Damn."

"Erin was handing out the bowls, and I think she might've mixed up Holly's because Holly was eating chili yet there was someone that cut in front of her in the line and that person was the one that got sick, if I remember correct."

"Dumb luck." She blinked twice. "But oddly I'm grateful for that."

"Yeah. Thomas had a similar experience as Regina. It wasn't so much that he didn't like chili, if I remember, I don't think he was hungry. Erin's boyfriend had already finished his bowl and wanted another, Thomas was near him and had given him his bowl."

"Weird, if the guy knew what Erin was doing you'd think he wouldn't have taken Thomas's bowl."

"I'm not sure he knew that much about it. He just knew she was targeting some of the ones that picked on her, and Thomas didn't really pick on her as much as the others. So he probably assumed he wasn't one of the ones she was after."

"Right." She inhaled and looked to the others. Lindsay had returned her focus to the computer, Travis was slowly tapping his thumb on the steering wheel and watching the door of the bar while Jason was looking around at the area surrounding them. "So after that whole thing, she went to prison for twenty years."

"She did."

It was horrible what she had done, and Trina's heart did go out to the victims of her cruel experiment. Certainly something so unpredictable shouldn't have been attempted, of all her targets, only one actually took a single bite of the chili and only got a little sick from it.

Now, Erin was free and trying to gut the group once more. She lost her parents while in prison, her boyfriend died as a result of the poison; and she was still blaming her bullies for it all. They had to pay according to her, and yet, it was their children that were paying the price.

"There's no price," Trina said softly, "No ransom. No rhyme or reason. This unnamed price that all of you are being told to pay is your suffering, watching your children pay for your crimes against her." Janet gasped out and Trina thought she heard Henry screaming in the background. "She needs to be stopped." A sneer stretched across her face as she looked to the video screen and watched Hector putting his equipment up. "She will be stopped."

"The police aren't even doing anything anymore."

"Don't you worry Ms. West." Trina picked up her phone, narrowing her eyes as she watched the K.J. move towards the door. "Thank you for your time."

"Trina? What are you-"

"Sorry, I don't have any more time. Stay strong, keep being there for Henry. This will all be over soon." She hung up as Travis started up the car.

Hector made his way to his van, threw his equipment in and raised his phone to his ear. "What?" He asked while moving the phone to his shoulder. He grabbed a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and began fidgeting with it. "You need another video made?"

He removed a lighter from his pocket, raised a cigarette to his lips and quickly lit it. Hector grabbed the lit cigarette and pulled it away from his mouth, blowing smoke from his lips. "Alright, I'll set Jade up for another shoot."

Trina froze, her teeth grit together and her fists clenched tightly. "So," she said with a shallow breath. Her eyes followed Hector as he made his way to the driver's side of the car. "I guess we'll be following this bastard now. I've promised Mr. and Ms. West that this nightmare would be over soon, and I'm not breaking that promise."

"Neither are we," Jason remarked. Lindsay nodded and Travis slowly pulled the brim of his cowboy hat down.

"Let's go get her," he said with aggression lacing his voice. "I'm done with these assholes. Let's make _them_ pay."

* * *

So we know now what truly transpired that fateful day at the camp, and just how close each of the parents came to their own demise. If not for Regina's pickiness, Keith's banter, Denise's apparent bladder, Holly being cut in line and Thomas not being hungry...To think of just how one small moment, one small whim or feeling spared them even though it cost the lives of others. So Erin lost people she cared about, she lost her own freedom, and she wants those parents to feel the pain that she went through. Go team go, bring her down and bring Jade home. What are your thoughts on everything we've learned in this chapter?


	14. The Chaotic Storm

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: I know some of you have been waiting for Jade, and I probably won't be updating tomorrow, so I'm going to gift this to you a day early. Enjoy, by the way all those Halestorm songs, go listen to them, especially during this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 14 (Chaotic Storm)

While following Hector, Lindsay took the time to look up the events behind the camp's chili poisoning in 1987. They wanted to know as much as they could, for it was better to know and be prepared than not. "Four people died," Lindsay commented shakily. Four lives lost, four sacrifices meant to pay for the bullying inflicted by these parents.

Trina looked at the black and white photographs and her heart sank when she saw the bright eyes and smiling youths. "Gracie Nelms, aged fourteen, died after being offered a bowl from a fellow camper that apparently did not like spicy food." That one hurt, because Gracie was so young. To have suffered such a terrible fate as a result of a moment of kindness, or pickiness, was horrid. "So young."

"Looks like it was her first time going there." Trina closed her eyes and shook her head. "Kyle Williams, aged twenty, Erin's boyfriend." Lindsay breathed out slowly. "The guy just wanted one more bowl of chili, that was it…"

Trina pointed to an afro-headed teenager. "How about this one? Micah Grant, sixteen years old. Cut in front of one of the suspected victims in line." She felt the tendrils of disgust and horror gripping at her, this unfortunate soul lost his life simply because he wanted to hurry and get food. "Lost his life because of one rude moment."

"Then there's this girl." Lindsay motioned to a grinning blonde of about seventeen. "Known to others in the camp as 'sticky fingers Louise', some of those in attendance say they witnessed Louise Brown swipe Keith's bowl of chili from him while he was busy talking to Henry West. After eating his bowl, she immediately began throwing up, one of the first of the four victims to show any sign of reacting to the poisoned food." Lindsay turned her head slightly and heaved forth a heavy sigh. "She was the first to pass away. Gracie was the last, she suffered the longest."

"Mrs. Valentine cannot have felt good about that."

"Doubt she did, probably was the thing that made her change the way she was."

"How did these people die?"

"It isn't good." Lindsay furrowed her brow and slowly scrolled the article up on her screen. "The victims were subject to rashes and hives breaking out on their bodies, their skin grew dry and some complained of unquenchable thirst. Louise apparently could not stop throwing up…it was bad."

"Yeah."

"None of them were intended targets, but police found evidence of planned targets and also found Erin's makeshift laboratory with the product she created and put in the chili bowls. She claimed she was only trying to make a laxative."

"She was a fucking scientist, I don't believe for a second she didn't know what she was putting together or what she was doing."

"And the police shared that same sentiment it seems. They found notes of the various chemicals she put together, she'd written about the effects they had when combined and was well aware that consuming that stuff could kill." Lindsay took a deep breath and looked up from the laptop. "She set out with the intent to murder all six people. It just happened that she attempted that in such an unpredictable setting…"

The nausea swirling about in her gut was almost too much for her to bear. The images of these four victims would never leave her brain, innocent lives that had no idea what hell they would encounter.

"I'm looking up more information about Erin," Lindsay said as her fingers moved furiously over the keys. "Seems like what Bruno said was right, her mother died in '94 and her father in '96. Hector, seems like he was five years old in '87 would have been fourteen when their dad passed away. They have a sister closer to Erin in age, but it looks like she had her fair share of run-ins with the law during her teenage years. She was in jail herself when their dad died, so Hector would've been thrust in foster care."

"So they were separated from their youngest sibling too."

"Erin sure has lost a lot and clearly has never learned how to cope with any of it."

Trina scoffed and narrowed her eyes. "Maybe I'll teach her."

"She'll have to wait," Jason replied. He flung his arm out and Trina looked in the direction of his gesture. "We've arrived somewhere." Hector was pulling into the driveway of a small house in the middle of a run-down, poor neighborhood. Trina's right eyebrow arched high and she cocked her head to the right.

"I cannot believe it's actually a house."

It wasn't the nicest looking home, but it was better than the last two places they'd come across. The house was a single one story white home with a front porch. The paint was chipped and the windows glossy, the shingles were popping off the roof and the front lawn looked like it hadn't been mowed in ages.

Travis started to sneer, waving his hand out at the home. "What is it with these people and run down places? Are they trying to make a statement or something?"

"I could see it." Jason nodded his head and looked back to Travis. "Erin thinks of herself as broken, thinks her family is broken. All the places we've seen have fallen into disrepair, been abandoned and left behind, all broken…I could see them trying to make a statement that way."

Travis rolled his eyes. "Or they're just too stupid to realize that not all criminals select shitty looking sites, and the ones that actually use better looking places to hide a hostage tend to get away with it for a bit longer because not everyone suspects the well groomed criminal."

Rolling her eyes, Trina turned to Lindsay. "Linds? Cameras?" Lindsay nodded, but continued typing.

"Already on it." As Lindsay focused on getting into the network once more, Trina turned her thoughts to Erin and her motives. She had to wonder why someone would continue going somewhere where they were constantly harassed and bullied; but perhaps there was more to it than what met the eye.

After all, she'd been planning on murdering the group; but what if it had not been the first attempt on their lives? Perhaps Erin had continued to go because she was watching them, preparing and getting ready.

It was clear just from how spread apart Tori's friends and how little the hired help knew about things, were that considerable planning had gone into this. By every means, Erin's plot against the parents should have worked; but her one mistake was choosing an unpredictable setting, one that she could not control.

Angry, Trina wasted no time leaving the car. She leaned in through her open window giving Lindsay one last look while Jason started to exit the vehicle. "Do you see Jade at all?" Lindsay nodded. "Where?"

"Basement, it looks like a fucking movie studio down there."

"What?"

"She's tied to a bed and has cameras and lights all around her."

Trina roared angrily and pulled away from the car. "Fucking assholes." She made her way to the trunk of the car and yanked out her pistol and her sword. She didn't have to guess what was going on inside, her assumptions were painted clearly.

"I'm going to put a stop to them before they think they can humiliate this girl any further." Trina set her phone to play the next Halestorm song _'Mz. Hyde'_ began to echo in the air and a slick smile stretched across her face.

"Oh no," Jason muttered, "I know that look."

"Let's blow this joint to hell." She cocked her pistol, slammed it into her holster, then locked the belt of her sword's sheathe against her hips. She pocketed some smoke pellets and fire crackers for herself. "Burn the place down, create chaos. We're getting this girl out of hell now."

She marched to the front porch, unsheathed her sword and waited as Jason checked the doorknob. It turned easily and opened up without issue. Inside, there were three guards positioned on the couch, they had little time to react as Trina threw several smoke pellets and fire crackers at them.

Jason charged inside, grabbing one of the guards by the neck and yanking them off the couch. The smell of smoke tantalized Trina's nostrils and burned her eyes as she entered the building. She blinked multiple times and moisture splashed off her eyelids as she raced forward.

One of the guards jumped up from the couch, waving her arms before her face. Trina wasted no time thrusting the heel of her right foot into the guard's throat, causing her to drop to the ground.

Before the third guard could react to much, Jason slammed his held guard down into the third. Their heads slapped together and they groaned loudly. With a virulent sneer, Trina twisted her blade and brought the hilt down upon their heads with as much force as she could muster.

Another guard came running in from another room, coughing loudly as the smoke caught their lungs. "Get him, Jason." Jason nodded and rushed for the guard, pinning him against the wall, then he dealt three heavy strikes to the man's gut. Another guard came running and Trina spun around, slapping her tensed hand and sword hilt into the left temple of the guard.

The guard staggered back, then lurched forward, striking low at Trina's waist. Trina winced as the blow connected, she grit her teeth and darted behind the guard. The guard started to turn, but Trina thrust her pointed fingers into the back of his neck, causing him to stumble forward.

Jason hurried over and dealt a heavy side kick into the small of the guard's back. The guard jerked forward, bending back and throwing his hand to the injury, leaving himself open for another powerful strike from Trina. The strike connected with the guard's throat and she kicked forward, striking the man's groin.

The man dropped to his knees and Jason grabbed the back of his shirt, leaning down. "Where's the basement?" Jason asked with a growling tone in his voice. The man trembled and shook, holding his groin and looking up with pain swelling in his eyes.

"A-Around the corner, door in the kitchen."

"Thank you." Jason released him, then swung a fist in a hammer like motion into the back of the guard's head.

The couple made their way into the kitchen, where Trina threw multiple fireworks about the place. Sparks connected with cloth fabrics, such as towels and napkins, scattered on the table and countertops.

Standing at the a door in the kitchen, she closed her eyes and inhaled slow and deep. With a powerful shout, she kicked her foot into the door, punching a hole just next to the doorknob. "You know it was probably unlocked, hon." Jason reached into the hole and twisted the doorknob, then pulled open the door.

"It's all about intimidation and chaos, sweetheart." She peered down the dark stairwell, shouting at the top of her lungs. "Hector, I know you're down there with her, asshole. Show your fucked up face like a man before I paint my sword red with your blood."

She heard the whimpering cry of the girl downstairs. "H-Help me!" Jade screamed at the top of her lungs. "Please! I'm down here!" She heard someone else curse, then came the sound of flesh striking flesh.

"Oh you're dead, Hector." Trina flared her nostrils as Halestorm's song _'You call me a bitch like it's a bad thing' _began to play. She walked slowly down the stairs, throwing smoke bombs and firecrackers down. Smoke rose and she passed through it almost effortlessly.

When she turned, she saw what appeared to be an open studio. Jade was struggling on the bed, stripped down to just her underwear. The sight infuriated Trina as nausea, disgust and hatred spun like a storm within her.

Hector stood at the foot of the bed, growling as his gaze fixated onto Trina. "Hello Hector," Trina scowled, "What have you been up to since my sister sang at your damned club?" Trina motioned to Jade. "You know she's underage, right? Making movies isn't going to help you."

Hector smirked at her, his tongue slicking across his lips. "At least I'm not the actor." Trina's upper lip twitched and her muscles tensed within her. _Vicious_ began to play, offering some amount of comfort while ramping her up at the same time.

"You've reached the end of the road, Hector." She cracked her neck and flicked her wrist outwards.

"Trina!" Jason called out from above. "Look out behind you!" Trina spun around in time to see a heavyset guard charging for her. She sidestepped him and swung her sword down, slashing the tip along the guard's back. Her eyes narrowed as the guard dropped to the floor.

Hector stared down at the guard with his jaw agape, while the guard struggled to rise up, groaning painfully. Trina flicked her eyes upwards and saw the two Northridge girls walking up behind Hector, they were twisting their hips and grinning from ear to ear.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" She rushed forward, throwing more smoke pellets forward. Hector threw his arms in front of his face and the girls were soon enveloped in smoke.

The blonde grabbed her throat, coughing heavily but her friend leapt away from the smoke. As Trina swung a fist, the girl kicked her leg outwards, connecting her heels with Trina's wrist.

Trina doubled back in pain and sucked the air in through her teeth. _I'm not an Angel_ began to play on her phone. Trina closed her eyes and breathed in as the music drifted into her ears.

"You're toast." Trina's eyes flickered open and she leaned back as the girl threw a fist. The girl followed up with a kick, Trina dodged to the right and removed her handgun from the holster. As the girl turned, Trina fired a shot into her leg, causing her to drop to her knees and raise her head up. "Sorry 'bout that."

Holstering her gun, Trina gripped the handle and put her other hand on the blade, raising it upwards. "Goodnight, Northridge bitch." She slammed the hilt down onto the girl and watched as she fell to the ground.

Halestorm's _Bad Girl's World_ began to play and Trina's lips twisted into a smirk. "Got any other people helping you out, Hector?"

"Fuck you," Hector remarked. He whipped out a pistol and aimed it towards her. Trina crouched low and leapt to the right as he fired a shot. Hector growled angrily as she ran along the wall of the basement, guiding his aim as each shot he fired struck the wall behind her. "Hold still, bitch."

"Yeah, that's right, keep focusing on me asshole."

"When I get you, I'm going to tie your ass up and you'll be plastered all over the fucking internet!"

"Excuse me?" Jason's voice boomed and echoed in the world. Trina stopped running for a moment, her eyelids fell halfway and her smirk grew as Hector slowly turned his head. Jason was standing behind him, arms crossed and eyebrows raised high above his narrowed glare. "Touch my woman, you die."

Jason dealt a swift blow to Hector's face, then grabbed him by the neck with his left hand and the gut with his right. Hector dropped his gun and threw his hands to Jason's wrist. "Goddamn you," Hector growled, "Put me down."

"Oh I'll put you down." Jason lifted him off the ground while moving for the stairs, then brought Hector down hard atop the railing. Hector screamed out in pain and rolled onto the stairs, then proceeded to roll down the last three steps.

Trina winced. "Bet that hurt, huh?"

Halestorm's _I Am the Fire_ started to echo in Trina's ears as she marched towards Hector. The basement door opened back up and she threw her head to it. "Get her!" A guard screamed. Three guards ran down the stairs, so Trina threw several firecrackers towards the center of the stairs. "Shit!" One guard tripped and tumbled down the stairs, landing on top of Hector, causing him to scream in pain.

A second guard froze at the top of the stairs while the third waved their arms, blinded by the flashes. Trina bolted up the stairs, leaping out at the guard on the top and flashing a toothy grin. She swept her leg through the air, slamming it into the guard's back and forcing them down the stairs and into the second guard.

Hector raised his head and his eyes widened as the two guards flew towards him. "Son of a-" They crashed into his head, forcing it down onto the pavement. Blood flowed from his nose and he began groaning loudly, rolling his head from side to side.

Trina walked down the stairs, stopping at Hector. He looked up at her with a vicious snarl, pain still evident in his eyes. "Fuck you, Hector." She struck his head with her foot and his body went limp. She continued to walk, moving coolly past Jason. "Make sure his ass is still breathing. You've got my dad's handcuffs, I trust."

"Yep."

"Great." She made her way to Jade, who was now lying still. Her face drenched with sweat and tears. The girl looked up at her, panting and sniffling as her entire body trembled. "Hey Jade."

"Trina?" Jade closed her eyes, her forehead creased and she began to sob. "Trina, I…I can't bear anymore. I-I I want to die." Trina closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "It hurts, it hurts too much. I can't bear it."

"You can make it through this. You will…"

"Is he-is he still recording? He hasn't posted yet has he?"

"What?"

"Those girls, that man. They..." Jade's voice trembled and Trina's lips twitched with disgust. Using her sword, she sliced through the ropes on Jade's arms and legs. "I don't think I can take it. I can't."

Trina reached for her phone and slowly moved through some of her favorite Halestorm songs. The one she selected was a softer one, one she felt Jade may need to hear during this time. Pressing play, Trina spoke part of the song's lyrics. "I was just like you, and just like me you're going to make it through. These are words every girl should have a chance to hear. There will be love, there will be pain, there will be hurt and fear…"

Jade furrowed her brow as _Dear Daughter_ began to play. "You…" Fresh tears broke from the girl's eyes. "You listen to her music?" Trina slowly removed her shirt and helped Jade to sit up.

"Put this on." Jade nodded slowly as Trina helped her to put the shirt on. She wrapped her arms around herself and bowed her head, weeping bitterly. "It's time to get you out of here. Your Mom and Dad have been waiting."

"Momma?" Jade whimpered. "Momma's waiting for me?"

"She's been holding out, looking after your dad and waiting for you to come home. She's a strong woman, and you're strong too. You're going to be okay."

Trina helped Jade off the bed and put an arm around her for support. Jason walked over, helping to guide Jade up the stairs. The upper floor was on fire, catching them by surprise. Firefighters were racing in, fighting the blazes.

"W-What happened?" Jade asked. Trina chuckled softly and put a finger to her lips. Jade nodded and held her breath, walking slowly as they made their way outside.

Once outside, they saw Gary standing on the front lawn with his hands at his waist. "Jesus Christ Trina," he said, "What in god's name hit this place?"

"Halestorm," she replied while smirking. Gary rolled his eyes and two officers ran over to throw a blanket around Jade. "Jason and I missed her concert because of all this, so I had my own little concert."

Janet exited a nearby patrol car, followed by Henry. "Jade!" The woman cried out. Henry's eyes flooded with fresh tears. Jade looked at them like a deer caught in headlights, then began to cry as her parents hurried over to take her into their arms.

Trina watched the scene with a smile and turned to Gary. "Hector is in that basement with some of his people."

"Should I even ask what was happening?"

She lowered her voice, not wishing to subject Janet or Henry to the news just yet. "Sounds like making porn movies on an unwilling victim…The Northridge girls they sang against at that karaoke place were part of it all too."

Gary ran his hand behind his head and cursed. "Son of a bitch. It wouldn't have been long before they would have thrown that right in the West's face…"

"No. Mr. West's already at his limit and Janet, I don't know how much longer she could stay strong. That…would probably have killed them."

"We need to stop these people soon."

"Yeah." She sighed. "Also, looks like the leader might be that Erin woman thrown into prison for twenty years ago after the camp murders." Gary raised his hand over his mouth and closed his eyes. "Erin planned those murders, for god knows how long, but chose an unpredictable time to attack. Four people died." Trina clenched her fists tightly and she looked back to Jade and her parents. "Now she's trying again and more innocents are paying for it. She's a psychopath that should've never been released back into society."

"Trina…"

"Bet you in Texas, she'd be a fucking live wire right now and none of this would be happening. Unlike California, the lover of setting criminals free to slaughter their victims. There is no justice, even when sent to prison. No justice whatsoever."

"We will make sure justice is served."

"I hope so, because Jade's never going to recover from this. None of them will, not even their parents."

"Do you have an idea of where to go next?"

"Lindsay looked up Erin's sister, Monica. We'll be tailing her next."

"Okay…but Trina?"

"What?"

"Please try not to cause so much chaos when you find her, would you?"

Trina smiled softly and turned away, she would make no promises. In this instance, rage had gotten the better of her. She started making her way to Lindsay's car, stopping only when she heard Jade call her name.

"I heard you say you missed a Halestorm concert." Trina turned her head over her shoulder, looking sideways to Jade. "I-I have a couple tickets for one of her concerts in a couple of months…Maybe you'd like to go to it?"

"I'll think about it." She smiled at Jade. "Thanks for the offer." Jason walked up alongside her and draped an arm around her shoulders. She breathed in and walked with him, feeling like a hero.

* * *

Four sacrifices for the parents, now their children suffer a hell unimaginable and will never understand quite why. Jade is safe, though she and her parents will be forever changed. Erin must pay for the injustices that she's committed, and I don't think Trina's planning to relent anytime soon. What are your thoughts on everything that occurred here?


	15. Barely Alive

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: I stayed up late, got to work and caught up quite well, more than I thought I'd be. So I actually have something ready where I thought I wouldn't have today, so I have something to give you today anyway where I thought I wouldn't. The fact that right now I'm on one of the last few chapters (working on the final rescue now and Trina's test in commanding Gary's police team), I think I'm in good shape to give you something today after all!

Funnily enough Halestorm's song "Here's to Us" started playing as I was writing the last part of this chapter. It's actually so fitting for this chapter, go give it a listen!

* * *

Chapter 15 (Barely Alive)

Andre rolled the wheelchair around his hospital room, weary and impatient. His grandmother was asleep in a chair in the corner of the room, although she kept waking up every few minutes. She wasn't freaking out like she normally was, which Andre was grateful for.

He wouldn't be able to cope with her being paranoid while he had his own fears. He couldn't sleep, for the nightmares were too much. Then, when he tried to go to sleep, every object that became a black shadow in the night seemed to twist and curl as if it were to sprout hands that would reach out for him.

"Grandma?" He called out to her, wheeling the chair over to her. "Grandma?" The woman's eyelids fluttered open and she raised her head with a loud yawn. She covered her mouth with one hand and looked towards him. "I heard Beck and Jade were found and are in the hospital somewhere. I'm going to go find them, I need to see them."

The woman smiled softly and carefully pushed herself from the chair. "Let me go with you."

"You don't have to…" He looked to the hospital door, wincing at the thought of traveling by himself right at the moment. "But I wouldn't mind." His grandma looked at him tenderly and slowly walked behind the wheelchair. "Maybe when my legs heal you won't have to push me around everywhere, huh Grandma?"

"I don't mind, Andre. Makes this old woman feel useful." Andre chuckled softly, his heart swelling as a comforting feeling came over him. She guided him out the door and down the hallway. "I was thinking about what you told me. About your mother."

"Oh."

"Maybe one day the two of you can connect, I know you don't think much about her. You were so young." It never helped how young he was when the fire happened, he still had the occasional nightmare from that night. Fire had always been something that terrified him and he never quite understood it until recent years.

"Fire doesn't bother me so much anymore, not like it used to."

"Good."

"All I really remember from that night are two big hands picking me up and fire all around me. Guess that was the firefighter."

"You were barely alive, nothing short of a miracle. Before your mother went away to prison, I remember her saying she was happy for it. She acted in a fit of anger and by the time that had worn off, she couldn't do anything but watch everything burn."

Tears began to fill his eyes and he slowly turned his head, watching as nurses walked by. "Can we talk about something different, Grandma?" She nodded slowly and reached over, ruffling his hair. He leaned away with a chuckle, then frowned as his heart began to sink. "Barely alive…that whole time in that room with those people, I wanted to die."

They passed a mirror on the wall and he studied his reflection for a moment, cringing at the scarring that wrapped around his face and forehead.

Once they made it to Beck's room, they found Keith gazing fondly at his son, who was sitting on the bed and shaking his head. Beck looked at Andre with a broken smile. Andre was shocked by his appearance.

He had a patch of dark hair that would likely grow back very slowly and an eye patch over one eye. His body was shaking like a leaf and jagged scars were shown coming from under his shirt. "Andre, it's good to see you, man." Beck stood from the bed and Keith ran to him, helping to stand. "Dad, Dad it's okay I can walk."

Keith's eyes filled with tears and Beck quickly hugged the man. "Love you, pop." His father hugged him tight, causing him to grunt. "I need to see my friend, Dad."

"Alright son, I'm not going anywhere."

Beck sighed heavily, but retained a smile. "I know. I know." Andre waited patiently until Beck made his way over to him. "Dad's been all over me, hasn't let me out of his sight for a minute. He's jumpier than I am right now."

"Yet my grandma seems to have gotten calmer," Andre replied with a laugh. Beck chuckled softly and Andre took a deep breath. "My legs are broken, but they'll heal. So I won't be in this chair for long…I hope."

"Yeah, that'll be a good thing." Beck frowned and pointed to his eye patch. "Meanwhile, those people. My eye's gone and I can barely see out of the other eye as it is. Can't believe I'm out of that hellhouse."

"Did Trina find you?"

"Yeah man, she did. I…I was shocked that she would even look." Beck looked over his shoulder, his eyebrows rising as he gazed out the door. "I heard one of the nurses say Jade was here, I want to go see her." Andre nodded, feeling the same; but he was also extremely worried about what he'd personally overheard a couple nurses talking about regarding all of them.

"Jade's not okay, Beck. She made it out like us, by the skin of her teeth; but I think she went through something way worse than us." Beck's face twisted with worry and panic, his breathing seemed to quicken and his hands started to tremble.

"Then I really need to go see her."

"Be careful with her though man, don't be upset if she doesn't take to you right away. Alright? I…I've seen girls that go through some real bad shit, so however she responds to you, bear in mind that it isn't you." Beck furrowed his brow and his expression grew grim.

"Are you trying to say what I think? That-That those assholes…"

"You know what? Let's just go see her. She probably wants to see us too."

Keith picked up his fedora from the chair and walked over to Beck. "I'm coming with you guys." Beck smiled at his father, then reached out in askance for the hat. Keith handed it over and Beck swept the cap over his head.

"I really could use a hood or something," Beck said with an exasperated sigh. The group made their way down the hall in silence, watching as nurses and doctors made their rounds and as other patients walked the halls looking at them as if pitying them.

Andre hated it, he wasn't the sort that cared for pity. No, he knew how it felt to have everyone constantly ask him if he was okay or how he felt. Growing up the survivor of a family murder, being pitied for being the little baby that made it out of the blaze and being patted on the back for having a mother locked up in prison.

Every one of those people, sure they meant well and tried to be sympathetic, but he wanted them to go to hell. They didn't understand then and they wouldn't understand now, because his trauma and his pain was his own. It wasn't theirs, they'd never suffer through something like that.

And now? He knew he'd be looked at with disgust for the rest of his life anytime someone saw the scars on his face. Sometimes, barely alive was no better than dead.

Beck growled at one of the patients looking at them with pity and sorrow. "I hope Jade at least doesn't have any physical deformities that people will constantly stare at." He bowed his head. "Think she'll even want to be with me now that I've got one eye and can barely even see?"

"I think it'll be fine, just gonna need some time and effort."

"I'll be there for her, no matter what, I'm going to support her however I can."

"Right, I'm right there."

They made it to Jade's room and found Jade pacing the floor as Andre had earlier. Her parents were seated nearby, both leaning into each other and snoring. Jade looked ready to scream, her face anguished and eyes filled with terror.

"Jade?" Beck walked into the room first, moving slowly. Jade flinched and threw her head up, her entire body tensed up momentarily as her gaze studied him. "It's me, Beck. It's okay…"

"Beck." A sigh rolled away from her lips and she ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck and sobbing into his chest. "I hate hospitals."

Andre wheeled himself in while Keith and his Grandma hung out outside. Seeing Jade, he was thrilled that she was here and alive. "Did Trina find you?" Andre asked. Jade looked over and slowly nodded. "I asked her, you know. I asked her if she held it against us for picking on her so much and she said no. In fact…" Andre chuckled softly as he remembered Trina's fight for him.

The memory of the event was foggy because he'd been drifting in and out of consciousness, but he did remember how powerful Trina appeared in those moments. "I remember that woman, the one that had me, mentioning that the lady in charge was picked on a lot by our parents…" Jade and Beck frowned and looked to their respective parent, Keith dropped his head and slowly closed his hands up. "Trina was all like 'These people harass me day in and day out, and I'm trying to rescue their ass!'"

Jade chuckled and Beck slowly shook his head, smiling at something. "I barely remember how it went down with me," Beck replied, "I wasn't fully conscious either. I do know she talked her way out of there. Her boyfriend was there too, helped me outside. Did you know she's dating Mr. Sikowitz's nephew?"

Jade blinked twice and Andre scrunched his face. "The guy from that night over at Mr. Sikowitz's place?" Andre tilted his head and hummed. "I wonder what Cat would think about that."

"Probably be annoyed," Jade replied. "Trina just talked through your rescue, Beck?"

Beck nodded. "Yeah, I guess the guy that had me had a kid. Trina must've figured that out somehow and played off that, he gave me up willingly."

Andre sighed. "The witch that had me didn't go out without a fight, but she was stupid. Trina had a friend waiting somewhere, took her ass out with a sniper."

"Jesus she was light with you two," Jade remarked with her eyes widening, "When she found me…safe to say she was _pissed_.Had Halestorm on playlist and beat the shit out of everyone in the room, and apparently set fire to the place." Andre's eyes opened wide and Beck jerked his head back. "That man threatened her, and then her boyfriend threw him against the stair railing."

"Were you awake through the whole damn fight?"

"Pretty much…" Jade moved her hand to her arm and bit down on her lip. Andre saw the rope burn mark on her wrist and his heart sank.

"You know what…" Andre looked off to the right, his hands closing into fists in his lap. "Tori's in this hospital too." Jade and Beck gasped softly. "Let's go find her." The others agreed, and as though they'd been awake the entire time, Jade's parents perked up.

Henry practically flew from his seat while Janet slowly rose. Jade smiled at them and carefully placed her hand into Beck's. He looked her over with a tender loving gaze and they all made their way outside.

Just before finding Tori's room, they saw a large portrait on the wall of Holly. Andre felt his heart sink when he looked to the table placed in front of the picture, it was filled with flowers, cards, and candles.

He heard Henry say she didn't make it, both of the Vega parents lost their lives. Now he understood just how deep the fire that burned in Trina's heart was, and it amazed him that any of the criminals were surviving her.

"That woman," Janet whispered with a shaky breath, "From back at the camp. She's the reason for all this." Henry and Keith shared a somber look and bowed their heads. "Because you guys couldn't stop messing with her." There was anger lacing her tone as her gaze drifted to her daughter. "I hope she bites it for what she's done."

"Is that really why all of this is happening?" Andre raised his voice to be heard. The fathers looked his way, but barely, as though unable to give him an honest answer. "Jade, Beck, and I…Tori, Cat and Robbie, we're all barely alive because of some woman you picked on twenty years ago?"

Jade's eyes filled with fresh tears and she stared at her parents with a questioning gaze. "It's true," Henry said wearily, "We were young and stupid. Erin. That's her name." Andre's body tensed and he could see it in his friends' eyes, they filled with a sense of fear and weariness. "She tried to poison us but failed. The only reason I didn't die was because Keith couldn't stop talking to me."

"Yeah." Keith dropped his shoulders, looking away from his son and sighing. "Someone took my food from me but I was too busy talking to Henry to notice until she started throwing up. At that point everything went crazy." Keith raised his head up and furrowed his brow. "I-I remember seeing her, Erin, standing there at the serving table."

The others looked to him and watched as his body started to shake. He stared at Holly's portrait and a tear ran down his right cheek. "She was looking evil, angry, and somewhat horrified. Denise had gone off to the restroom, Regina and Thomas had given up their bowls. And Holly…someone grabbed her bowl from the serving line when they cut in front of her. Henry's the only one that took a bite of that food, and he barely lived through it. It was horrible, people were puking everywhere, kids were running in fear, dumping the chili on the ground or in the trash."

He sighed heavily, raising his hand to his forehead. "And all the while this is going on, Erin is just glaring. It was chaos. The Sikowitz family couldn't get control of it."

"Sikowitz?"

"They owned the place. I think the man's son would've taken it over, but they were forced to shut it down after what happened."

"I think all of us feel responsible for that," Henry replied softly, "Four people died because of us. Never in a million years did I think our children…" Tears ran down his cheeks and he looked at Jade. "Do you guys hate us? Do you blame us?"

Andre looked down, his forehead creasing. "It isn't…" He tilted his head a bit and closed his eyes. "Your fault. It's not your fault. You didn't know that woman was batshit."

Beck looked over with a soreness in his eye. "Remind me never to piss off Trina, though."

"She saved us," Jade replied, "I don't think she'd hurt us but…it makes you think, doesn't it? Sometimes you pick on someone, hurt them just because it makes you feel good and it makes you feel powerful; but you never know who they are or what's going on in their mind. Trina…Trina could kill us easily if she really wanted to, if she was hateful enough, vicious enough; but she's not a psychopath. She's angry right now, yes, but not at us. Kind of glad not to be on the receiving end of that anger."

"Can we just agree to stop treating people like shit then?" Andre asked, a light growl vibrating from his throat. "If we learn anything from our parents, anyway…" He rolled his chair towards Tori's door, ready to see the girl. Beck and Jade followed after him, then the adults.

"We should warn you," his grandmother spoke, "She's not in good shape." Andre stopped, his palm planted on the door. His gaze peered through the narrow window of the door and he saw Tori inside, connected with tubes and wires, her eyes closed. His face tightened and his heart sank. Beck and Jade looked over their shoulders at their parents, worry coming over them. "She's in a coma."

Andre's chest grew tight and he wanted to scream, but instead he pushed open the door and made his way inside. Beck and Jade followed after him, with Jade covering her mouth with her hands and Beck turning his head away from Tori's form.

"Oh Tori." Tears fell from his eyes as he made his way to the girl's bedside. The room was littered with flowers and balloons. Gary was in the room as well, sitting in a chair nearby, his form strong and his watchful eyes scanning each of them.

"You need to be careful just walking into a room like that," Gary remarked. The group spotted him for the first time, each flinching upon hearing his voice. "Especially this one." His standard-issue handgun was on the table beside him. His hands were folded over his knees and his elbows bent.

"What are you doing here, Deputy Malone?"

"The kidnappers demanded no police activity nor police stationed at the hospital to protect Tori." He pushed himself up and narrowed his eyes. "But they can't stop me. I'm here as her family friend, not a cop. I'll be damned if I let anyone mess with her though."

Keith shut the door behind them and Gary gave him a nod of thanks. "I'm sure she and Trina appreciate that." Gary looked over to Tori, his face long and eyes weary. "Is that the reason Trina's the one getting our kids out?"

"Yes." Gary made his way to the foot of the bed in the room and gripped the foot bars with a firm hand. "These criminals have Thomas and Regina terrified. So terrified that they've ordered a freeze on the police…My only option is to send a vigilante in; but it was Trina's decision. She couldn't sit by and act while her sister's life hangs in the balance. She found her father, you know."

Andre grew cold, imagining how Trina must have felt walking through the house that night. He was the one who saw David laying in the study, he remembered the man's blood pooling on the ground and he could recall how gutted he felt seeing the one that should have been able to protect them lying dead on the floor.

"He was running for his gun that night," Andre muttered, "They got him. They were…they were ready."

Gary nodded and looked to his own gun. "David usually always had his gun at the ready. The one time that he didn't was the last. I will not make that same mistake." Gary walked back to his chair, sighing heavily. "Take as much time giving Tori your regards. It will not be long before you may not see her again."

"Why?" Andre scrunched his face while Beck and Jade shared a concerned expression.

"Her aunt and uncle own a ranch out in Texas." Gary planted a hand on his right knee and leaned forward. Andre remembered hearing about the relatives, he remembered the fight Tori had with her sister that night.

"Tori didn't want Trina to leave."

"She didn't, that's right. Trina was planning on moving there to join the police force." Gary scoffed and looked off to the right. "She seems to think the police here are too lax, too corrupt, and too weak. She's not completely wrong." He rolled his eyes and bowed his head. "I've always been fighting against corruption, and now I'm forced to allow a vigilante to run around on a rescue mission."

"She's still doing a good thing, though."

"I suppose there is always a grey area somewhere." Gary looked over to the door, sighing heavily. "As much as I hate to see them go, I know they'll have to. Trina was going to stay with her aunt and uncle, but Tori's young and will need to be with her family. Guess she'll be going with Trina regardless."

"Is Trina leaving her boyfriend behind too?"

"No, his parents live in Dallas. He's been staying with his uncle for a few years because he wanted to be close to her and his family allowed it, so he'll likely be moving back in with his parents."

It was a bitter pill to take, knowing that both sisters and even Jason would be gone. Still, they would have each other to lean on for support. All of them, barely alive, barely living.

Andre moved closer to Tori's bedside, he studied her expressionless face carefully and placed a trembling hand over hers. Beck and Jade walked over and slowly moved their hands over his.

"We'll make it through," Beck whispered, "And so will she." Andre closed his eyes, he envisioned Cat and Robbie standing nearby. He was sure they were still hanging on somewhere, wherever they were.

As he opened his eyes, he breathed in slow and his shoulders lifted. "Find them, Trina. Cat, Robbie, bring them to us."

* * *

I wanted to be able to show some of the group's reaction and their families. Surely they each have seen Trina in a far different light and have come to a new understanding when it comes to her. Of course they'll have to come to the understanding that they'll need each other in order to heal. Jade may have had the worst of the trauma, none of them will recover well from this; but I'm going to go out on a limb and say the worst of it has yet to come. Sure they're all barely living, surviving their brushes with death, but I'm going to admit Cat will probably horrify you as where she is and how she's suffering will be the worst to come. Let's hope Trina can rescue her before it's too late, because she's dangerously close to death. So that said what thoughts do you have on this chapter?


	16. Familiar Taste of Poison

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Yes the title of this chapter is a Halestorm song. Give this one a listen, you'll understand why as the chapter progresses. We'll get back to Trina's team soon.

* * *

Chapter 16 (Familiar Taste of Poison)

Denise lay in her prison cell, the bed wasn't overly comfy but she'd grown used to the walls that surrounded her. Her hands moved behind her head and she stared lazily at the ceiling above her. "I don't know if there's a God above," she whispered, "But if there is, let these kids be found." She turned onto her side and furrowed her brow.

Her thoughts raced through her brain, memories of her own crime and then having to see the son that survived suffering because of her actions as a teenager. She often wondered why it was she survived that fateful day. She was the worst of the girls, at least she always thought that, and she should never have survived.

Like Keith, she remembered seeing Erin that day. She was glaring at the campers throwing chili everywhere and running about like chickens with their heads cut off. Gracie, Micah, Kyle and Louise lay in fetal positions on the ground, covered in their own vomit and feces, their eyes wide and bodies trembling.

Even Henry was complaining about feeling hot and nauseous, Janet was walking him to the cabin.

Denise remembered asking Regina and Holly what was happening amid the confusion, neither of them knew what was going on. Thomas was busy trying to shake Kyle, asking him if he could stand and offering to help him to the infirmary.

Holly had been the first of them to spring to action, trying to find bowls and pots for the kids to throw up into and trying to find ways to ease their pain. All Denise could do was stand there, staring back at Erin, frozen under the evil, icy look in her eyes.

Over the many years in prison, Denise had time to speculate and wonder just what that mixture was that Erin had used. Her own curiosities led to her studying science and chemistry while in the prison cell. She discovered that some of the key ingredients could easily be found on the property.

Now, she kept a vial of it hidden under a brick beneath her bed. It served as a reminder, something to keep close to her and force her to think on the actions that led to the death of four people and now the torture of her own son.

Footsteps echoed down the hall, causing her to jolt upright. She raced over to the prison bars and narrowed her eyes as other prisoners did the same. Then she saw him, a man easily recognizable in her memories as he did not look all that different from the baby face he had as a child in the photographs littering Erin's cabin.

Her youngest brother, Hector. He wore prison clothes now, his expression was angry and he appeared to be trying to look tough with his shoulders broadened and chin raised. She let out a low growl, her knuckles turning white as she tensed her grip on the bars.

A voice came over the prison intercom. "Attention prisoners," spoke the warden. Denise raised her head up and furrowed her brow. "Deputy Malone wishes to make you aware that we have a new prisoner in our yard. A child rapist who forces underage minors to perform in pornography videos that are posted on internet websites…"

It was then that Hector visibly paled, the toughness on his face passing as he froze on the spot. Denise locked her jaw tight and growled as other prisoners hollered and hooted. Threats and warnings echoed off the prison walls and Denise felt a flicker of pride and anger growing from within.

"Come on," the guard demanded while yanking on Hector's arm. As Hector passed by her cell, his eyes locked with hers. She tilted her chin up and slid her thumb across her neck.

"It's personal, boy. Recess is in an hour, lunch in three. Enjoy it while you can." She narrowed her eyes at him and the guard pretended not to hear as Hector's eyes grew wide. "We're having _chili_ today." Fear flickered in his eyes and he looked at the guard, who once again yanked his arm and walked him down the hall. Denise cackled and raised her voice out loud. "You'll love it, Hector Louis, you'll just die for more!"

In the recess yard, Denise sat in the back corner table. Her arms were folded atop the surface and she was hunched forward. Her hair was concealing parts of her face and covered her shoulders and arms. Her eyes peered through as she watched Hector, trembling as he walked to the center of the yard.

The guards were looking the other way as a group of prisoners surrounded him. "Give him hell," she whispered, "Beat his ass. Make him suffer, make him bleed." Visions of the four who perished flashed in her mind, forcing the nausea in her gut to swirl about. "These guys don't take kindly to child rapists, Hector; but their fun won't be mine. Still, you'll get what's coming to you."

Hector screamed as he was pulled to the ground. One man straddled him and pummeled his face with heavy strikes. Another began stomping down on Hector's groin. He tried to twist and turn, crying out in pain as more prisoners joined the assault.

Denise tilted her head, watching with an evil look in her eye. This man, this monster, this demon brother of Erin would soon get what was coming to him. Erin would be sent a message, no less.

"Kyle." Denise sneered, her upper lip curling away from her bared teeth. "Louise." Her fists clenched so tight that blood began streaming from the palms of her hands. "Gracie." A growl vibrated from her throat and her chest grew tight. "And Micah. Dear, sweet Micah. They will all have their day. Let their ghosts haunt you, let their ghosts haunt your sister. The way my husband and children haunt me day in and day out…I will make you remember, I will make you regret."

Eventually the guards broke up the fray. Hector lay in a crumpled heap on the ground, trembling as blood covered him. "See you in the showers later," one guard said with a vicious snarl. Hector turned onto his side, whimpering fearfully as his legs curled up into his chest.

Later that evening, Denise crawled underneath her bed and carefully removed the loose stone from the ground. "Oh sweet memory. My nightmare, my horror." She removed the small, concealed container from the ground and her eyes narrowed as hatred flickered in her eyes. "Let them haunt you. Let them remind you, let them teach you how it felt."

The prisoners were called out to the cafeteria for food. Denise made her way through the lunchroom until she found a prisoner who told her Hector was seated next to him where the bowl of chili was placed. "Where is he?" Her eyebrow rose and the prisoner threw a thumb over his shoulder.

"Restroom, probably bawling his eyes out and trying to shit."

"Trying?"

"Do you need to ask?"

"Not really." Denise removed the small container from the inside pocket that she'd sewn into her prison clothes some time ago. She casually held it over the chili bowl as the guard raised his head up high and looked around. "I hope he enjoys the chili. I can name four people who just _adored_ the last bowl of chili they ate."

"You don't say? No guards looking this way."

She poured the mixture into the chili and smirked. "Back at camp, they all thought Regina was the worst of our little mean girl troupe. Oh Erin…how very wrong you were. You fucked with the wrong bitch."

"Why ain't you savin' that for Erin?"

"Something tells me she's not coming to our prison. Kind of surprised they'd throw her little brother here."

"Deputy Malone may have ordered that on purpose you know."

Denise flickered out her gaze and slowly pocketed the vial. "Probably." She sneered and slowly stirred Hector's chili. "Putting Erin's little brother in the same prison where one of her victims is? No doubt it was intentional."

"And not a single guard eyeballing you…"

"You know what's funny?" She walked around the table and took a seat across from the prisoner. "I would have suffered the same fate as the others that day, but I was already pissing myself all damn day. I had an overactive bladder when I was a kid." The man raised an eyebrow and Denise growled. "I had a lot of problems. Let's just say my father was an asshole and leave it at that."

"Got it. I won't press."

"Good."

"Besides." The prisoner looked at the bowl warily and started to cringe. "I would hate to wind up on your shit list."

Denise cocked her head to the right and huffed. "Kinda shitty, my father may have saved my life in a way." Her gaze turned up as she watched Hector making his way down the aisle. He was trembling with each step and had a slight limp in his gait. Her lips curled into a smirk. "Hey Hector, how were the showers?"

"Fine. It was fine." Hector sat down cautiously and looked around, his eyebrows rising. "I heard it was a coed prison, but I thought they kept the women separated from the men."

"Usually they do." Denise scowled at him. "They made an exception for me." It wasn't so much an exception as it was a demand. She was among one of the tougher inmates in the prison, could hold her own, which made her respected among both camps. She was allowed, under supervision, to move between the two camps from time to time; but when she learned that Hector would be coming to this prison, she demanded that she be temporarily moved to the male camp.

Hector slowly picked up his spoon and Denise stared with a nonchalant expression, watching as he opened his mouth and pushed the tainted chili inside. She turned her head and looked at the other prisoner with a subtle smile. "So Joe, are you enjoying your dinner?"

The prisoner nodded. "Very well. What about you? I don't see you eating."

"I don't really care for chili." Denise rolled her head slightly and sighed, her eyes glancing to Hector as he continued to eat. "You know, just can't bear it. Every time I even think of chili, I think of those four kids."

"Oh yeah, from back at your camping days?"

She swept her bangs from her eyes and whistled. "Yeah." Hector continued to eat. He was eating as though it were the last meal he'd ever have.

"What were their names again?" A cruel smile swept across her face as she watched Hector raise the bowl a little bit. Joe looked sideways, watching him as well.

"Louise, Gracie, Micah, and Kyle."

"Right, poor kids."

"Yeah." Hector paused, his spoon hovering inches away from his lips. He slowly set the bowl down on the table and his eyes drifted down to the lump of chili and beans on his spoon. Denise curled her hand in her hair and her wicked smile grew. "How are you enjoying it, Hector? Does it taste good? You're eating it like you're real hungry."

"I-It's okay."

"Does it have the familiar taste of poison?"

"I…" Hector swallowed and Denise swore she heard his stomach rumble. Denise cruelly removed the now empty vial from her breast pocket and twirled it with her fingers.

"I prayed for their souls. Prayed a part of their memory would be there, to help you and your sister remember."

Hector began to visibly pale, his skin growing moist with sweat. His hand started to shake violently and he dropped the spoon into the bowl of nearly diminished chili.

Denise looked to her nails, humming slightly as Hector jumped away from the table, holding his left hand over his stomach and his right over his mouth. The back of his pants grew brown, and the brown spot grew swift and fast, travelling down his legs.

Other prisoners began to cackle and laugh as Hector's entire body started to shake and convulse. Denise smacked her lips and looked up, watching him with nonchalance. He pulled his hand away from his lips and suddenly vomited onto the floor.

"That's how you hit the correct target." Hector dropped to his knees and planted his hands on the ground, groaning and clenching his stomach as he threw up again. "Sorry your sister, as smart as she must have been, didn't think about how to make sure the tainted chili got to the intended targets."

She stood up and walked over to him, her hands swept down her thighs as he raised his gaze to her. "Bet you're wishing right about now that she managed to kill me, huh? I think about that every fucking day of my life, and how I wish I didn't have to go to the bathroom so much that day."

"W-Why…"

"You know. That day was a _special_ day for me." She growled spitefully and the skin creased around her nose and eyes. "Thank my father for that wonderful anniversary. Guess your sister picked the wrong day to try and kill me. Now, she'll learn…and so will you."

She flung her hair over her shoulder and walked past Hector, her face twisted in anger but an ancient pain flashed in her eyes. In her mind, she visualized the four victims standing around him. She pictured them pushing him down as he collapsed onto the ground in the pile of his own vomit and feces.

His body twitched and convulsed and his eyes moved to the back of his head.

Denise looked back over her shoulder, watching as guards rushed for Hector's body. It felt good to see him writhe, to suffer the fate of those his sister poisoned-a fate they did not deserve. For her, this was her revenge and their justice.

"Not every victim or survivor wants those responsible to live or recover. Some just want to see them burn. I hope that chili destroys your insides like it did theirs, and I hope Erin understands how lucky she is she won't meet me. Regina and Holly stopped being bitches and became upstanding members of the community, giving back…guess who didn't."

* * *

And Hector goes down hard. Guess we'll be seeing what's up with the next victim, most likely Cat.


	17. Queen Bee

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 17 (Queen Bee)

"Found you." Trina peered through her binoculars, watching as a buxom blonde with a pixie haircut that she'd just received from a her hair stylist. Lindsay discovered through her res earch that Monica frequented the same hair salon at the same time each month, and today had been one of those days.

Monica was a tall piece of work in Trina's mind. Her clothing was sharp, she was dolled up with makeup that made her look like a clown; it was a personal preference with Trina, she preferred the minimalist approach when it came to makeup. She abhorred heavy makeup these days.

Monica sported knee high leather boots, skin tight red green pants and a fuzzy velvet shirt with long sleeves and a v-neck collar. The woman had black shades resting on her face and was apparently sucking on a sucker. "God she looks like a 1950s detective film cliché."

"Just think," Travis said with a low chuckle, "Underneath all that pretty and dolled up look lies the blackened heart of a dangerous and wicked woman."

"It's always the pretty ones," Lindsay said with a laugh. Trina rolled her eyes and Jason looked over, grinning from ear to ear.

"I'd let my beautiful lady handle me however she desires." Trina smirked at him and wagged her eyebrows.

"Don't worry Jason." Trina lowered the binoculars into her lap and her eyelids fell halfway. "I'm not into bondage or dominatrix stuff. Yet." Jason's face grew red and Travis's eyes widened. Lindsay let out a disgusted groan and shook her head. "But until then, I'll just leave you with the vision of me raking my nails down your chest and towards-oh look, Monica's getting in her car." Jason groaned softly and Trina was smirking at Lindsay's murderous glare.

"Could you _not_ while your best friend is sitting in the car?"

"Sorry, you know I have to liven up the day a bit, all this staking out is dragging into a long, boring time."

"Fair point."

They followed Monica around the city, much to Trina's chagrin and annoyance. The woman was high maintenance, getting her nails done at one point and going shopping for new purses and shoes. Monica even went out of her way to try new hats out.

At one point Trina started to wonder if this was a game of distraction, but Monica gave no appearance of suspecting that she was being followed. "You know," Travis said after some time, "I'd like to remind you what I said the other day. The well groomed criminal is often less noticed than the dirty one. Looking at her, would you think she's a kidnapper or a torturer?"

"To be honest…" Trina cocked her head to the right and huffed. "Looking at her I might wonder if she's up to no good. She's trying to make herself look beautiful when she's probably just an ugly piece of shit on the inside. She's compensating, overly compensating for that ugliness."

"Do you just hate beauty?" Lindsay asked. Trina chuckled softly.

"No, I adore getting my nails done from time to time; but this is just too much. At some point you have to realize, it doesn't matter how good you look, true beauty comes from the inside."

Jason nodded his head and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Trina looks beautiful in the morning when she just wakes up, her hair's a mess and she might decide to throw on a sweater and baggy pants; but she's still gorgeous in every way." Trina blushed at the compliment and Lindsay nodded.

"Fair. I guess Monica is an example of how you can look so great and still not come close to being beautiful."

"Just so you know, Jason." Trina leaned forward, moving her lips to his ear and lowering her voice to a whisper. "I'm going to fuck your brains out after all this." His red face deepened and a goofy grin spread across his face.

Lindsay sighed heavily and brought her fingertips to her forehead. "Should I start announcing every time Travis and I have sex?"

"No, we know you do." Trina leaned back slowly and smirked playfully. "I'm just not afraid to be brash and bold."

"Okay, okay." Travis waved his hand in the air and looked back, his forehead was creased and his eyebrows were pulled to the center. "Let's focus here guys. We're tailing Monica, she's on the move again and it looks like she's on the phone with someone."

"Keep in range," Lindsay said urgently, "I'll hack her phone now." Travis nodded and Lindsay went to work, typing furiously.

Soon the call came through, the caller's feminine voice filling the car. "She's been whipped, beaten, flogged, and the video has been sent to Regina. She's so afraid of us killing her daughter, she still won't let the cops near."

"Too bad she doesn't realize her kid is right under her fucking nose," Monica said. Trina raised an eyebrow and Lindsay started to hum. "Burning up on the roof of that fucking courthouse she spends all her time in."

Trina jerked her head back, throwing her hand over her mouth. "Son of bitch." Someone was about to witness a mother's wrath, and that wrath would come once Cat was free. "I wonder how long she's been up there, or if they moved her there recently."

"What do you want us to do, Monica?"

"I'll be there in a few hours, just entertain yourselves for all I care. I'm starting to feel like I'm being followed, so I'm going to drive around the city a bit." Trina felt her blood run cold and Travis started to growl.

"So she thinks she's being followed," Jason muttered, "She's going to try and lead us around this city all day."

The caller cried out in alarm. "Do you think they're listening in to our conversation? Should we move the girl?"

"No," Monica answered, "I doubt there's anyone listening in to the call, I'm in my damned car." That was Monica's first mistake, and it was a relief to Trina's ears. She circled her finger in the air and whistled to Travis.

"She gave us the location," Trina replied, "Don't follow her anymore and make haste to the courthouse."

Lindsay disconnected from the call and checked the time on her watch. "Isn't Regina at work right now?" Trina breathed in deep and nodded. "How do you think the kidnappers even got Cat up there? How do they get up there? You can't just walk into the courthouse and take the roof access. Then there's got to be cameras everywhere."

"If there's a way up, we're going to find it." She had a feeling of what might have allowed the kidnappers to traverse the roof so easily. There was an old office building beside the courthouse, it was just a little higher than the courthouse building. It wasn't nearly as watched as the courthouse and had a fire escape in the back alleyway. "They could actually be using that old office building to get onto the courthouse roof."

"The building right next to the place?"

"Yeah, and it's almost touching the courthouse, so I can see how easily they could jump down onto the courthouse roof from there."

"Guess we're headed there then," Travis remarked, "A fight on the rooftops. Sun's starting to set, so hey, at least this time we're getting a rescue with a nice atmosphere."

Jason chortled. "You're just happy it's not another abandoned building." Travis snapped his fingers and pointed out at him.

"Damn right I am."

Trina hummed softly, closing her eyes as she considered the options here. It would be harder for Lindsay or Travis to help them on the rooftops. She could see Travis getting up there with his sniper, but that would be dangerous for him considering the city crowd. Nobody wanted to see a sniper climbing on top of a building.

"I won't be able to use you, Travis…"

He frowned and nodded, understanding. "That's okay, I prefer not terrifying dozens of people."

Trina tapped her chin carefully, her forehead creased as she questioned how the courthouse might not pick up a rooftop camera. "A lot of places have cameras on the roof. Lindsay, you think the kidnappers disabled those cameras?"

"If they have," Lindsay answered, "I'll turn them on."

"I'm wondering if you should. I don't want to alarm Regina while she's at work." Granted the woman was still going to know, and likely be pissed that her daughter was being held on the roof of where she worked. "Do you think someone that works at the courthouse would be involved?"

"It's possible, someone in security being paid to keep quiet."

Once they arrived at the building, Travis parked alongside a parking meter and Trina waited for Lindsay to access the cameras. "Huh, just like I thought." Lindsay tucked her hand under her chin and glanced sideways at her. "Rooftop cameras are turned off. Simply turned off, as if someone in the security room shut them down…"

As Trina and Jason exited the car, they began to grab their things from their trunk. "Trina?" Regina's voice startled her from behind and she turned to face the woman, who was holding a paper coffee cup in one hand. "What are you guys doing here?"

She cursed mentally, realizing Regina must be returning from her break. She could lie, but at this point she knew Regina and Thomas were well aware of what she was up to and the woman would likely see right through her. "Well, Mrs. Valentine…" Regina's eyes began to enlarge and Trina started to sigh. "I think you should just go back to your office and um…"

"You're tracking someone." Regina began to breathe heavily, her hand flew to her chest and she started looking around. "Someone's here? One of our kids? Here? How?" She winced and closed her eyes.

"We have reason to believe Cat might be at this location." Regina cried out, her hand rose to her mouth and fresh tears filled her eyes. "If you do anything strange, it could tip the captors off."

"I won't risk my daughter's life, Trina."

"Okay. So hold your breath, and trust that we're going to get her down."

"Down?"

Trina closed her eyes and brought her hand to her forehead. Jason may have glanced at the rooftop after she said that, because Regina immediately looked up at the top of the courthouse.

"N-No, she couldn't be. Not…Not up there." Regina dropped her coffee mug and ran for the doors of the courthouse, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Shit." Trina bounced on her heels and pat Jason's shoulder. "Come on Jason, we need to get up there. Now." As she ran, she extended her arm to the car. "Lindsay! Turn those rooftop cams on!"

They rushed around to the back of the office building and began to race to the top of the office building. "If they have guards posted there, we're in trouble," Jason commented. Trina understood, which was why she was trying to be as quiet as possible.

Lindsay's voice came over the radio. "Trina, I've turned on the cameras, but you are not going to like this. Cat is in bad shape, and if her mother looks at those cameras..."

"Fuck. She'll see her daughter anyway. She's already receiving videos from the kidnappers anyway."

"True. But I'm telling you right now, you're not going to like what you see."

"I haven't liked a damn thing yet, what are you trying to fucking say, Lindsay?"

"She's horribly mutilated. I can't tell where her wounds begin or where they end, every inch of her body is covered in blood. Yet somehow, she's still alive." Lindsay paused and Trina heard Travis groan. "Oh, and she's also pinned to a wooden structure."

Trina reached the top of the office building just as a guard poked his head into view. Thinking fast, she punched him hard in the face, grabbed the edge of the building and flung herself up. She growled angrily as the guard turned his head, then kicked him hard in the jaw, sending him back against an air vent.

Jason started to climb over the building so she reached down and helped him up. "Okay," he said, "Let's do this." They started walking to the other edge of the building that faced the courtyard, Jason stopped to kick the guard's head to knock him out.

Trina flexed her hand as she stood on the edge of the building, the wind blew her hair back and her eyes started to narrow as she fixated her eyes on the guards below.

There were about six walking around the rooftop, one of which was standing in front of Cat and smirking at the girl.

The sight of the redhead filled Trina with a sense of nausea that made her want to vomit the longer she stared at her. Cat was attached to a wooden X structure, her hands had been nailed to the cross and her ankles were tied in place with rope. Blood was streaming down her arms, her clothes were soaked and caked with fresh and old blood, her head was bowed and her vibrant red hair was soaked and fell in strings before her trembling face.

The girl's skin had darkened from being under the sun. Her lips were cracked and dry, and she looked like she was at death's door.

"Motherfuckers."

"W-Water," Cat said with a hoarse and raspy tone. "Please." The guard in front of her laughed mockingly and extended a water bottle to her, then proceeded to dump it out on the ground.

This further angered Trina, and throwing caution into the wind, she removed her handgun and fired a shot at the water bottle. Every guard froze and twisted their heads.

Storm clouds swelled above their heads, a sight Trina hadn't thought was so fortunate until now. She'd noticed before when glancing at her phone that the weather mentioned potential thunderstorms today, but it was such a small and unimportant glance that she didn't give it a second thought.

"I guess someone forgot to tell you that a storm would be rolling in." Trina cocked back the hammer of her gun and leapt down to the courthouse roof. "Now, who's first?" Jason rolled his eyes and leapt down with her.

Lightning flashed in the skies and Cat tried to raise her head. "I need water. I need it…"

"Hang in there," Trina said while wincing at her choice of words. Jason removed a rod that was attached to his belt, it had an extendable pole. He scowled at the guards, ready for a fight. "Too bad Monica can't be here for this fight, huh?"

Jason rushed forward, swinging the rod down onto the arm of one guard trying to ready his gun. Another was running towards Trina, so she aimed her gun and fired a bullet into the guard's foot. The guard dropped to the ground and she proceeded to strike him multiple times with the handle of her weapon.

Rain began pouring from the skies, soaking everything in its wake. The guards still standing started to move slower, their baggy outfits absorbing all the water. As for Trina, she was only wearing a tank top and thin jeans, so the rain wasn't causing much of an issue for her.

A grin swept across her face and her eyes seemed to darken. "Looks like the storm is here, boys and girls, let's party." The remaining guards encircled them, forcing Jason and Trina into a defensive stance with their backs against each other. One guard whipped out a pocketknife another was holding a long whip, likely used in the torture inflicted upon Cat.

The guard with the whip raised it, cracking it in the air. "Jason!" He turned, throwing the road out in front of her as the guard brought the whip down. The whip grabbed the rod and Jason pulled back, yanking the guard forward.

Trina lurched forward, throwing her knee up and striking the guard's nose and eye. Blood spewed from the man's nostrils and he collapsed onto his back, holding his face and groaning.

She then picked up the whip and proceeded to strike one of the other guards with it, causing them to scream in pain. "Doesn't feel too good, does it!" The guard dropped to his knees, holding his arm up as Trina brought the whip down again.

As another guard tried to approach her, Jason struck him from behind with the pole. The guard turned around and tried to swipe at Jason with the pocketknife, nicking Jason in the arm. Hearing him grunt, Trina looked over with worry. She saw blood oozing from his arm and screamed in anger.

"It's only a scratch," he tried to say. Too late, Trina tackled the guard and straddled his waist with her knees. The man looked up at her with wide eyes as she pelted him with punch after punch until the man's face was bruised and bloody.

"Trina." Jason put his hand on her shoulder. "Trina, I think he's out." She stopped striking the man, panting heavily and looking up at the wound on Jason's arm. It wasn't too bad, but she couldn't help to worry. "Can we get Cat down before Monica shows up, because I'm pretty sure she's on her way."

"Right." He helped her to her feet and she quickly moved over to Cat, who was leaning forward more and weeping bitterly. "How the fuck are we supposed to get those out?" She pointed to Cat's hands, pierced by what must have been a nail gun.

It made her sick to see Cat in such a horrifying situation, and she wanted to get her out as quick as possible. She reached into her pack that she'd brought up and pulled out some bandage.

Jason sighed. "Useless at this point."

"I know. You have something in your own pack that might help. That big wrench that's in there?" He looked to the duffel bag hanging from his shoulders and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you can use that, grab the nail and just pull them out."

"Worth a try."

Trina waited for him to search through his duffel and she approached Cat carefully. The girl turned her eyes towards her, trembling with pain. "It's okay." Trina cupped her hand over Cat's cheek and curled her eyebrows together. "We're going to get you down. It's going to hurt, but the physical pain won't last."

"Help me."

"We're here now. You're going to be okay."

"I don't want to live like this."

Trina continued to talk to Cat, attempting to comfort and distract her as Jason went to work removing the nails from Cat's hands and wood. Cat cried out each time, then let her arms fall limp around Trina's shoulders. Trina closed her eyes and sighed as Jason sliced through the rope around Cat's ankles.

The girl's legs went limp and Trina felt as though she were holding a ragdoll.

They carried her close to the roof access door, which was next to the edge of the building. They set her down against the door and Trina began to wrap Cat's bleeding hands with the bandages.

Before she could scan for further wounds, she heard a shrill voice angrily scream above the thunder in the sky. She looked to see Monica rushing towards them, her face twisted in a vicious scowl.

Trina barely had time to react, having been taken by surprise, as Monica grabbed Cat and yanked her off the floor. Trina jumped to her feet and took a few steps back, standing beside Jason and watching as Monica put the tip of her switchblade knife to Cat's neck.

"Your hero mission ends here," Monica said with a snarl. Trina narrowed her eyes.

"I noticed the cameras had been turned off on the roof," Lindsay said over the radio. Monica's eyes darted down to the radio attached to Trina's hip and scowled. "Your doing? We found out that you worked security at the courthouse. Is that how you snuck by them every day?"

Monica growled again and when Trina tried to take a step forward, she pressed the knife against Cat's cheek. "Wait!" Cat cried. "Please. Please."

"This is for my sister," Monica sneered, "Thrown into prison for twenty years because of your fucking parents. They should have died that night. Regina was the worst of them you know." Cat started to whimper. Trina clenched her fists. "So we felt like it would be fitting to butcher her daughter right under her nose. If Cat were to die up here, she'd find out just how close her beloved daughter was to her. She'd realize what it's like to lose someone so dear to you."

"Everyone that you and your sister lost was _not_ the fault of our parents." Monica sneered. "Your sister's boyfriend? Yeah he died because she decided to poison the food that day and didn't control the situation. Then your parents? You couldn't have controlled that."

"No, but we can control this." Monica started to turn towards the edge of the building. Cat screamed out in horror and Trina froze in place. The roof access door started to open and Regina stepped out, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Monica froze, startled as Regina swung her oversized designer bag through the air. "Get away from my daughter!" Monica released Cat, throwing her arms above her face. Cat stumbled back and Trina caught her in her arms, looking out as the purse struck Monica in the face.

Monica's body jerked backwards just as security guards bolted through the door behind Regina. Jason tried to grab Monica as she fell back over the roof, but he failed to reach her.

The woman's arms flapped in the air with her legs, her hair flew before her face and her eyes closed just as her body struck the pavement right beside Lindsay's car. Trina heard Lindsay and Travis scream over the radio, then proclaim about blood on the windows.

Trina stared down, pale faced and mouth agape. Her stomach churned violently as she slowly dropped to her knees. Jason knelt beside her and wrapped his arms around her.

Nearby, Regina ran for her daughter. "Catherine!" She scooped Cat up in her arms, weeping bitterly into her child's shoulder. Paramedics rushed onto the rooftop, surrounding them. Cat opened her eyes slowly, looking past her mother to Trina, who was screaming at the top of her lungs.

Down below, Travis was leaning out the window of the car and looking at the woman's purse, which landed directly beside his door. His voice came over the radio, shaky and clearly upset. "There's a notebook sticking out of the purse. It has the names of the victims and where they're located. I see where Robbie is…God I'm going to be sick."

None of them were expecting a death, certainly not Monica. Sure, none of them were the ones that dealt the mortal blow, and even Regina likely hadn't intended for Monica to fall over. She was trying to startle the woman, to protect her child; and protect her child she did. Only, the blow caused Monica to stumble back and step off the edge of the building. There was no avoiding it.

Still, more important, Cat was safe. Now, they needed to find Robbie and fast. Preferably before the psychopath behind all of this found out about her sister's demise. Because this time, she could blame her sibling's death on one of the parents.

The bitter irony perhaps was that Monica's death was at the hands of the parent that Erin likely hated the most during her time at the camp.

* * *

Cat made it through, barely. She looks like death worn over already, and Monica...yikes. Regina got her daughter back. I thought I'd give you this today because I have a pretty big exciting twist coming up in the next chapter so I want to get that out to you tomorrow. Chew on this: If Regina is the most hated of Erin's enemies, why is Robbie the one being tortured by her and enduring even more hellish things? We haven't heard much of Thomas's camp time but nothing is ever truly black and white. Until then...


	18. Race Against Time

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 18 (Racing Against Time)

They had no time to recover from Monica's death, they couldn't even sit and talk to Cat as the police and ambulances ran down the streets. Trina did make a promise to Cat before she left, though, and the promise was that she would bring Robbie to her.

The pair had started to date, though only had two or three, and Cat was not ready to lose him before she was able to see if something would grow out of that relationship.

More than that, Trina knew the group wanted, needed to be whole. Whenever she moved in with Uncle Ted, Tori would be moving with her and so the group wouldn't have her with them. She didn't want them to suffer anymore loss, so letting Robbie slip away certainly wouldn't do.

Thankfully, Travis was able to take a photo of the bloodstained page of Monica's notebook that revealed Robbie's location. Oddly enough, just as Travis jokingly predicted before, Robbie was being held captive in a mansion that Erin owned in one of the wealthier parts the city.

How she could afford the place, Trina wasn't sure. Given the personality and nature of the criminal, she probably ripped it off of someone or one of her hired pawns actually owned it. Then again, Erin did have five years of planning.

As they made their way towards Erin's mansion, Trina pulled out her phone and dialed the number of Mr. Shapiro. He answered after two rings, and greeted her by name. "Mr. Shapiro, we're on our way to Erin's mansion. Cat's been rescued. I need you to give the call, let Gary bring the police back in. We could use his help." There was a pause, followed by Thomas grumbling.

"What if-"

"Robbie is the last one left, and we know his location." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Erin doesn't know that yet, Gary and I can get the police placed without her knowledge."

"I can't lose my son, Katrina."

"You're not going to lose him." She knew better than to make promises like this, but in the heat of the moment she couldn't help it. "Erin has a fucking mansion with god only knows how many guards. I cannot do this one alone. The only time these kids have been threatened with death is when the criminal was backed into a corner by me, so even if you don't send the police in, Robbie's at risk of being killed either way. I am unwilling to put my team at risk by myself in a mansion that could very well be packed with guards. So I am telling you, for _Robbie's_ sake, call the police back in!"

She emphasized and growled out the last several words, frustrated with Thomas's own paranoia. The man didn't seem to realize that his paranoia was putting his son at greater risk and putting control in Erin's hands rather than theirs.

After what felt like several minutes of consideration, she heard the man give a defeated sigh. "If it will help you get my son out of harm's way, and none of the other kids are in any danger, then I will lift the freeze on the police."

"We know his location, Mr. Shapiro. There's no need for further investigation, this isn't an investigation any longer. This is a rescue mission." She narrowed her eyes as Jason and Lindsay looked to her with concerned expressions. "I, we, _Robbie_ needs the police involved in this. This is a woman that tried to kill you in the 80s, a woman whose boyfriend you gave your tainted bowl of chili to. This woman has harbored a grudge for twenty-five years. The daughter of her most hated person has just been rescued. The only one left is Robbie." She let out a heavy sigh. "Let me call Gary, bring the police in on this."

"Consider it done. Bring my son home, you and Gary both."

"Thank you." Relief swept over her and she quickly hung up the phone. Quickly she dialed Gary and, almost instantly, he answered. "Mr. Shapiro's lifted the police freeze, Gary. I need help. We have Robbie's location, Erin's mansion and it's probably packed with guards. I can't go it alone. This is no longer an investigation, it's a rescue mission."

She was almost certain she heard a triumphant shout from his end. "Okay Trina, give me the location and I'll bring the police. You're in charge, you tell us where you want us. Got that?"

She froze, her eyes growing wide as she looked to the others in the car. This was a huge responsibility being placed upon her, and perhaps a test of just how well she might handle police work.

"A-Are you sure?"

"This is your mission."

"I…" She nodded briskly. "I understand. Make sure you and the police don't show up in patrol cars, okay? I don't want to arouse suspicion."

"Got it."

"Also don't park in vicinity of the house, we don't want to tip off or alarm any of Erin's guards. We're not sure exactly what we'll find there, but we're almost certain Robbie's alive in there."

"Okay. I'll have them park around the neighborhood."

"Don't let them start moving until I'm ready. I'm going to have Lindsay see if there's anything she can hack into in that mansion. If there is, she can see what we're up against. I'm going to position Travis across the street with his sniper, I'd suggest having some police snipers doing the same, so that we can have them scope the place out as well."

"Got it."

"Gary." She smirked and her eyes narrowed. "Let's do this."

They reached the mansion and parked a few blocks down, near the entrance to a park. The mansion itself was a dark black Victorian style home that Trina thought Jade would likely appreciate. It had three floors and looked something like a castle with spire roofs. The front entrance was a covered porch with a long stairway towards the ground.

Lindsay connected with the network and found a mass of security cameras installed. "Jesus Trina, they've got a camera in like every room. It's hard to tell what's what."

"Keep looking around and see if you can manage to figure anything out." Trina gazed at the house with a light bit of anxiety. Every window was closed and well decorated, so it might be hard for the snipers to get much, though she'd still have to set them up.

As for Robbie, they had to be careful not to tip Erin off that the police were involved here otherwise she might simply kill him. The house in of itself was menacing, and when she looked at some of the cameras on Lindsay's screen, she saw a terrifying amount of guards walking the floors or socializing in the rooms.

Lindsay pointed to a camera. "I think this may be on the top floor." The screen showed a bedroom with a queen size bed adorned by pink covers and laced pillows. In that room was a desk where a woman sat in a brown leather swivel chair.

The woman had dark brown eyes and an oval face with long scars on her cheeks and her chin. Her nose was sharp and her hair lips thin and cracked. She had long, curly blonde hair parted in the middle that swept past her shoulders and covered the parts of her face.

She wore a scarlet t-shirt and long denim jeans. Overall, this woman looked like a normal person who had seen some rough times, but the science equipment on the desk sent chills down Trina's spine.

The woman had her right hand tucked under her chin and her left hand fingers were tapping the desk almost rhythmically. She was gazing out a nearby window, the blinds and window were open and a small orange tabby cat was seated on the windowsill.

With a hum, Trina reached over, tapping Travis on the shoulders. He had the binoculars in his lap. "Let me see those." He handed them over and she raised them to her eyes, peering at the mansion.

On the top floor, she saw the scene, an open window with a cat sitting in the window. "Erin's on the top floor." She felt a hand on her arm and jumped in surprise. Lindsay was looking pale, her hand over her mouth and eyebrows risen on her forehead. "What?"

"There's a girl in one of these rooms, she looks a bit out of place." Trina leaned over to see what Lindsay was seeing. A girl of similar appearance to Erin lay on a full size mattress with blue covers. She had freckles and a pair of thin, brown glasses on her wet face. She was gazing at the ceiling and had her hands behind her head while her right knee was raised.

"Looks like she's resting." Her long brown hair was sprawled over the bed. Trina studied the room closely, seeing a lot of scientific posters and decorations. This girl was familiar, and clearly in her teens. "You know who that reminds me of? That one guy's little sister, or I think he was her sister."

"Who?"

"Sinjin. He's got a sister. In fact, I think she attended Sherwood. You know, where Tori was going before."

"That couldn't be her. Why would _she_ be there?"

"No clue." Trina scratched her chin and started humming. "Sinjin couldn't be involved in this mess." Lindsay shook her head.

"I don't see him on any cameras, inside or out. He's not in that house." Trina leaned forward, furrowing her brow at the screen. She watched as the girl stood up, stretched her arms out, then walked over to her window. She opened the window and leaned out, folding her arms over the windowsill.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Trina raised her binoculars and stared at the second floor window on the left side of the building. The girl looked as though she were staring directly at her.

Her heartbeat stopped for a moment and it was clear as day. "Courtney Van Cleef." She lowered the binoculars slowly and shook her head slowly. "What in the fuck? Where is my phone?"

Jason reached into the center cubby and pulled out her cell phone. "Thanks hon." She scrolled through the contacts on her phone, knowing that at one point she had Sinjin's number saved. She needed an explanation, but at the same time, she wanted to be cautious.

After five rings, he answered the phone. "Hello Trina." His voice was eerily calm. She heard voices in the background and what sounded like billiard balls being struck.

"Hitting the bars, Sinjin? They let your ass in?"

"You are aware I'm older than you."

"Yeah." Most people assumed he'd been a student and wondered why they rarely saw him participating as one during Sikowitz's classes. The truth of the matter was he'd been a student years prior and was working as a TA for Sikowitz.

In truth, he was born in '88. "I thought you might be calling me eventually." She heard the clinking of glass on a surface, followed by Sinjin sighing as though he'd just taken a drink. "What's up?"

"I was wondering about Courtney. How's she holding up?"

"She's fine. I guess." She raised an eyebrow and called him out on his response. Why wouldn't he know how she was? "We've been having disagreements lately and she took off. Now I know where she is, probably…you're calling me."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just a hunch, you're asking me about Courtney, so you've probably seen her." Sinjin sighed heavily.

Jason growled, clearly growing impatient and leaned over to her phone. "She's at a mansion where a very dangerous psychopath is located. Care to explain?" There was a long pause followed by Sinjin breathing in deep.

"Let me guess. Erin Louis?"

"You know about her?"

"Of course, she's our birth mother." Trina felt her blood run cold and looked over as her friends looked at the phone like they'd just been shot. "Hate her ass, but Courtney's been wanting to get to know her because she'd never met the woman. I have, and I fucking her."

"How does that factor out? Birth mother, I-I don't understand."

"What's not to understand? She got pregnant with me around the time before going to prison. Got moved to a coed jail where she got it on with a prison guard there, got knocked up and moved to another facility. Courtney and I were placed in foster care. We grew up moving from home to home. She's a crazy, psychotic piece of shit with only one purpose in life, and Courtney wanted to learn more about the woman."

"Well, like I said, Courtney is sitting in the mansion where Erin is and where Robbie is potentially being held captive."

"Yeah." She heard Sinjin cough, then heard him slurping down another gulp of whatever he was drinking. "She's probably the reason he's still alive, if he is."

"You know about what's going on?"

"Yes. I also know the police haven't been taking my fucking calls. Courtney's been sending me text after text ever since Tori was put in the hospital." Trina's jaw dropped. "She's the one that convinced Erin not to kill Tori after your parents died."

"What?"

"Yeah, Courtney sent me a message saying she was able to talk Erin into just telling her people to put Tori in the hospital and not kill her. My sister wouldn't have been able to cope with that, she knew Tori back in Sherwood, they were starting to become friends before she left and went to Hollywood Arts. So, you have her to thank for your sister's life."

She wasn't sure what surprised her more, the fact that all of this was happening or the fact that Courtney had been able to convince Erin of anything. If she had some sway, then she could be used; but the question was whether Courtney could do the same thing again.

"I'm surprised she hasn't convinced Erin to give up any of the others."

"Not for a lack of trying," Sinjin remarked, "I've gotten texts from her saying Erin will not budge and that giving up Tori was a one-time thing." Sinjin slapped his drink on the counter and asked the bartender for another. "Listen Trina, I think this goes without saying. Erin is dangerous, evil, malicious; and Courtney has no fucking idea just how bad she really is. If Courtney thinks she can be the soft voice of reason that gets Erin to see the light, she's in trouble."

"You're saying she's in just as much danger as Robbie, then."

"No shit." She heard the anger in his voice, but detected also a hint of fear. "Get her out of there Trina. Whatever it takes, get her out of there before that psychopath decides she's had enough of her. And you know what? I may not like Robbie all that much, but get him out of there too, he doesn't deserve that shit."

"I'll do whatever I can." She cleared her throat. "And Sinjin, Mr. Shapiro lifted the freeze on the police. We're in a rescue mission now. Send those texts from Courtney over to Deputy Malone, okay?"

"I'll see to it the police get them, if they're finally going to take my damn calls."

"Yeah, they should. Why don't you leave the bar, catch a ride home and get some rest. I doubt Courtney would want her brother to be drunk when she sees him."

"I'm not even that far into my drinking right now."

"Sure you're not. You're worried about your little sister, out at a bar sitting on those thoughts, angry, and I remember you being a drinker in the past. Go get cleaned up."

"Fine. _Mother_." She smirked as Sinjin hung up the phone. Trina let out a weary sigh and shook her head.

"Great. Now we've got to get two people out of that house." She glanced sideways at Lindsay. "Have you spotted Robbie yet?"

"I have. Looks like he might be on the top floor, because Erin just left her room and went into another one…" Lindsay turned the camera and Trina watched the screen.

Robbie was hanging in the center of a room, ropes attached to his feet. He had one arm swinging freely while the left arm was missing entirely. Boils and hives covered his entire body, and blood was sliding like rivers along every inch of his legs, torso, and arm. He wasn't wearing his clothes, just a pair of boxers, which revealed the extent of his wounds: mainly burns, rashes, scratches and something smeared all over his body.

He didn't cringe when Erin walked into the room, holding a small tube of liquid in her hand. His head turned ever so slightly and his eyes closed. Erin reached up slowly, letting the chemical ooze from the tube onto his chest.

Steam began to rise and Robbie opened his mouth in a scream. On the separate camera, in Courtney's room, the girl jumped and looked up at the ceiling in horror. If Courtney hadn't known the extent of Erin's psychotic behavior before, as Sinjin said, she certainly did now.

"Jesus she hates this kid," Travis muttered. "I have to wonder, I thought Regina was her most hated person, so why is she torturing Robbie rather than Cat? Wouldn't she be torturing the kid she had the most personal hatred for?"

Just then, Trina looked up slowly, her eyes meeting with Jason's. The way Sinjin spoke of Erin, the anger in his voice. Sinjin had always been a fairly angry person, even if he never showed it at work. Erin clearly had no interest in him and he had none for her, not to mention he wasn't even kept in the family.

A grim expression came over her face as her heart started to sink. "He didn't say who his father was, did he? Her boyfriend-"

"You know how I always thought he resembled Robbie in some ways? Seeing the pictures of Kyle, he doesn't look like the guy." Jason whispered. "You don't think?" She cupped a hand over her mouth and shut her eyes. Her body started to shake as she felt her hair standing on end.

"Oh god no, please no."

* * *

So, this is going to be a big mission. We've discovered a bit more. Quite a bit. What are your thoughts with everything?


	19. The Bitter Truth

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 19 (The Bitter Truth)

The torture continued and it took every ounce of strength inside of Trina not to run into the mansion with guns blazing. Robbie was bleeding everywhere, no inch of his body seemed untouched. Just when she thought Erin might be done, she would attack another part of his body.

"And I thought Cat suffered the worst of it," Lindsay muttered with a low growl. Trina waited for Gary's call letting her know that his men were posted and ready. Her hands trembled and he fingers clutched tightly her knees.

She watched as Courtney flew out of her room and made her way down the hallways. Lindsay studied the movements closely, able to track her on the cameras and sort through what cameras belong to what.

The girl made her way up the stairs and into the room where Robbie was being held, her eyes were wide with horror and fear, and her hands were trembling over her mouth. Erin turned around, scowling at the child. Courtney ran between her and Robbie, then stretched her arms out as if to plead with Erin not to hurt him any longer.

Erin grit her teeth and slowly left the room, allowing Courtney to run into a nearby bathroom and return with a bucket and sponge. Trina watched as the girl tried to clean up the blood and nurse Robbie's wounds. "She's definitely trying," Trina said, "But I don't think she's going to be able to fully reason with that woman."

"You know something weird," Lindsay said while pointing at Robbie. "Is it just me or does it look like his boxers are melted to his skin?" Trina's heart jumped up to her throat and she leaned in, groaning as she studied where the boxers should have been sliding with gravity.

Not only were parts of the pants twisted, but they were hanging as if the ceiling were the floor. Jason and Travis both grimaced, with Travis holding his gut. "What the fuck did Mr. Shapiro do to this woman?" He asked. Trina was afraid to answer, fearing that she may already know the answer. If the answer was what she thought, then the motives for Erin trying to poison everyone and what she was doing now went far beyond mere bullying.

"Oh Robbie." Her voice quivered and tears ran from her eyes. "I'm not going to let you die for your father." She watched Courtney as the girl checked her phone. The girl started to freeze, her eyes growing large as she threw her head up and looked to the window. "What?" Trina scrunched her face and leaned forward, her brow furrowing. "What's happening right now?"

Courtney pocketed her phone and ran out of the room, running through the halls until she made her way to the kitchen. She started going through one of the kitchen drawers and removed a large knife, then ran back to Robbie's room.

The girl instantly cut through the rope and caught Robbie with her arms sliding under his arm and one wrapping around his torso. The boy's legs sprawled out on the floor and his head rolled to the side.

Slowly, Courtney pulled him into the restroom. She ran out, picked up a gun from a nearby table. She turned her frantic gaze to the camera, as though she knew she were being watched, then ran back into the restroom, slamming the door shut

"Money's on our boy Sinjin letting her know what's about to go down," Jason remarked while moving his hand over his forehead. "Seems like she's moving to protect herself and Robbie."

"Then we need to be getting in there," Trina said with a growl, "I think this constitutes probable cause."

"Go charging in there, we'll be putting a lot of lives at risk."

"You're right…we need to think this through."

Gary made his way to the car and Trina rolled her window down. "All my men are in place throughout the neighborhood. I have them also evacuating any civilians present on this street."

"Good, I don't want anyone getting hurt."

"I've got snipers posted on the rooftops like you suggested, and some of my best squad members are ready to go in. This could get messy though, Trina."

"We have another problem." She had Lindsay rewind the already recorded footage, showing Courtney to Gary. The man's jaw dropped and his hands started to shake. "Seems like she's in there trying to be a voice of reason for her birth mother. I talked to Sinjin, he should be sending text messages to you."

"He has, I haven't the time to go through them yet."

"Well looks like Sinjin is Erin's son, and I don't have a good feeling about the _how_. I just know we thought she hated Regina the most, but she's putting Robbie through more pain and suffering than any of these kids have suffered. He's in constant pain, constant duress, it's a miracle he's still breathing; but I think Courtney has been trying to keep Erin from going too far and killing him."

"Are you suggesting that Thomas may have done something worse than just picking on her?"

"Putting the pieces together, I think he may have done something horrible. The others might know about it, but regardless, Robbie's suffering for his dad." Gary closed his eyes and breathed in slow, his nostrils flaring as his hands closed into tight fists.

"How do you want to go about this?"

Trina turned to Lindsay. "I've got these cameras sorted based off the movements of Courtney and of the guards. I think I know which cameras belong where and have a good layout mapped of the place. I should be able to guide you and the police through the house now."

"Okay, so what are we facing in side, Linds?"

"The first floor seems composed of the living room, kitchen, a dining room and a couple bathrooms. The second floor has about three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a game room. Third has two bedrooms, one of which Robbie is being held in. Courtney's taken him into the bathroom in there, she's got a gun and a knife. We're assuming she's locked the door and is trying to protect Robbie. There is also a balcony between the two rooms."

"So besides the bathrooms, there are nine rooms in the house."

"Yes. Each room has one to three guards posted in it. I'd estimate anywhere from twenty to thirty guards in this mansion." Gary's eyes went large and Lindsay looked over to him. "Erin is on the top floor. Right now, it looks like she's standing out on the balcony, which judging by the way the house faces the street, the balcony is overlooking the backyard."

"Okay." Trina turned to Gary. "Do your snipers see any guards out in the yard or around the house?" Gary shook his head.

"I haven't noticed any on the outside, my men have been scouting around as well and aren't reporting any guards."

"Here's the thing then, I do not want to treat this like a raid with guns blazing." She motioned to the cameras on the screen. "If there are thirty guards in there and we go in shooting up the place, Erin will definitely know. If Courtney has locked herself and Robbie in the bathroom, that won't hold for long before Erin gets in there."

Gary nodded in understanding. "So it's a stealth mission?"

"Yes. Go in there, having the police making arrests, but we need to be sure to avoid a gunfight. Detection will mean possible mission failure. Assume the second you are spotted by one of the guards that the hostages are dead."

Gary smirked and a flicker of pride flashed in his eyes. "Spoken just like your father would." Trina's heart swelled with joy, though she didn't have the time to truly enjoy it. "Okay, I will have my men follow your lead."

"Bring enough men, I want them splitting up so they can make the arrests. I will head for the top floor. You can handle the guards on the second, and Jason I want you leading a team on the first." Jason nodded and looked to Travis, who instantly tipped his hat.

"I'll provide cover with the other snipers."

Lindsay dropped her shoulders and sighed. "Aw darn, I won't be able to be a part of the action." The girl's eyes lit up and her mouth spread into a grin. "Though, I do get to have a fun role."

"An important one," Trina replied, "Because we're going to need to know when those guards are on the move. This is a stealth rescue operation, try to bring these criminals out alive but if you are in a situation where deadly force needs to be used…"

"Permission is granted," Gary said without hesitation. "Use lethal force only if needed. Don't go crazy in there."

"Exactly." The group started to leave the car to grab their equipment. While Trina was retrieving her handgun and sword, she saw Gary giving one of his guns over to Jason. Her brow furrowed as Gary met the man's eyes.

"Don't let yourself get hurt in there," Gary instructed, "Trina's going to need you alive." Jason nodded and Trina walked over, rolling her eyes a bit.

"He'll be fine as long as he lets the police take some lead." She pat Jason's cheek, then leaned up to kiss his lips. "Just clear the first floor. Once you've done that, get out."

"Got it." He gave her a gentle squeeze of the hand, comforting her as she looked up to his tender gaze. "Love ya, hon."

"Love you too."

"Stay safe in there too, don't do too much. If it gets too heavy, let Gary and the cops take it from there." She closed her eyes and started to smile as he gently kissed her forehead.

Soon, they were ready. She, Gary and Jason each had a team of about eight officers, giving them plenty of help to cover each floor. Jason knew to get out once they cleared the first, Gary would clear the second and join Trina if need be. Lindsay had stated that there wasn't very many guards on the third floor, if any at all, so Trina was hopeful all she'd have to contend with was Erin.

"There's a little door on the side of the house," Lindsay said, "I see it on the kitchen cam. There are two guards in the kitchen, but they're busy playing some card game and have their backs turned to the door. Enter there, take out the guards."

"Thank you, Linds."

They ran along the side of the house, trying to be quick but silent. Jason carefully opened the door first and poked his head in. After a few seconds, he waved his hand through the air and his team hurried inside.

The officers overtook the two men without issue, grabbing their wrists and throwing their handcuffs on. Gary's team went in next, followed by Trina's. "Trina, there's a stairway closet in the kitchen, I see it because of an open door."

She looked to her right and spotted the door that Lindsay mentioned, with a nod, she and her team made her way to the stairwell.

"Jason, Gary, if the two of you can tend to the three guards in the living room, then the second floor team can make their way up the main stairs."

Trina guided her team up the secondary stairs, making sure to stop and check every few seconds for anyone potentially coming down. It was surprising to her to see Erin wasn't all that prepared, but then she had no reason to expect a full blown raid.

Yes, she'd lost a few of the hostages, but she likely hadn't discovered what transpired with Monica just yet, and figured no one would suspect her of hiding out in a three story mansion.

''She's just standing on the balcony," Travis remarked, "I could take that shot right now if you need me to."

"No, we're not ready for that yet. We need to try and make the arrest first."

"Alright, but you know what they say about sitting ducks…"

"I know you're ready to take her out, but just wait."

"Can do."

Trina continued onto the third floor, opening the door slowly and looking around. "Lindsay, are there any guards on the third floor yet?"

"No," The girl replied, "I saw one starting to make his way up, but he ran back down the stairs. I think he heard something." Trina tensed and waited for Lindsay to say something else. "Ah yes, he heard a commotion I think and Gary had to grab him. All good."

"Okay." She looked towards the stairway. "How are you hanging in down there, Jason?"

"Pretty good," Jason replied, "Haven't been noticed so far, there aren't a whole lot of guards down here."

Gary's voice came over the radio, growling with annoyance. "That's probably because they're all in the fucking game room." Trina raised her eyebrows and then heard Gary curse.

With that, gunshots echoed out and Trina threw her hand to her forehead. "Crap." She looked back to the officers. "I need you four to go down there and help." She pointed to four of her eight officers and they quickly raced down to aid Gary's squad.

"That's not too good," Lindsay muttered, "Erin heard that. Looks like she's on her way back inside."

"Shit." Trina moved forward, stopping in the center of a large lobby-like room. On the right was the hallway leading to the bedroom that Robbie was located, and on the left was the hallway leading towards Erin's bedroom. Directly in front of her, Erin was making her way in through the doors of her balcony.

The four officers aimed their guns the minute Erin noticed them. "Freeze, put your hands in the air." Trina smirked with pride and Erin narrowed her eyes, growling at her.

"I thought the demands were no police activity," Erin remarked.

"Yes well…" Trina moved forward, resting her hand on the tip of her sword's hilt. "You see, all the other kids have been rescued. Robbie's dad lifted the freeze for this rescue mission." Hatred flickered in Erin's eyes and the woman slowly tilted her head.

"Do you know what kind of a man Thomas is?"

"You know what? I thought I would care, but I don't." She looked to the right, then back with a sigh. "Because whatever the fuck he did twenty five years ago doesn't equal what you're doing to his son."

Erin bared her teeth and pulled her lips back in a vicious snarl. "What I'm doing to his son is nothing compared to what he did to me! Nothing compared to what his friends did."

"You cannot blame innocent children for the sins of their parents."

"The hell I can't."

"Oh." Trina raised her hand to her chin and bowed her head a bit, doing her best to remain calm. This woman had a mental health issue, that was clear, and she was psychotic. The last thing that needed to happen was to antagonize the woman. "So, if you can blame the children for the sins of their parents. Does that mean, by your logic, I can blame your children for your sins?"

Erin's eyebrow rose and she let out a low growl. "So you know? You want to blame the spawn of Satan for what I'm doing?"

"Spawn of Satan, huh? Which one is that?" Trina pursed her lips and tilted her head to the right. "Is that the rage-filled alcoholic, or the one that is currently trying to protect the child you are currently torturing?"

"No, Courtney was the result of something good."

"I'm not sure you believe that, 'cause the prison guard abused his power did he not?"

"But I consented that time!"

Trina snapped her fingers, there it was. Erin let out a roar and turned to the right, pacing a bit and growling. "You don't understand. You could never understand."

"Try me." Trina moved her hands behind her back, curling her right hand over her left wrist. "I understand being picked on day in and day out. I understand being bullied to no end, feeling like you're all alone to the point you're ready to put your father's gun to your head and pull the trigger." Erin turned towards her, furrowing her brow. "No, I understand. I understand having to sit there, with my boyfriend practically wrestling the gun out of my hand. I understand just fine, Erin…"

"No, because you have your boyfriend. Kyle was going to _leave_ me. They were laughing at me, all of them, mocking me."

"Who was."

Erin pointed to the direction of Robbie, her voice rising and trembling. "His father, that man's friends…"

"You know what? I could call one of them up right now, let you vent to your heart's content." Erin flared her nostrils as Trina slowly removed her phone while stretching out the palm of her hand to let Erin know she was in no danger.

As she glanced down, she noticed she was receiving a call from Mr. West. "Oh look, one of them is calling me as is." She flicked her eyes out to Erin. "Is it okay if I answer?" Erin leaned forward, growling low.

"Which of the bastards is it?"

"Mr. West. Henry."

"Fine. But make it fast…and put it on speaker!"

Trina did as instructed, standing her ground to try and keep control of the situation. She needed to act if Erin did anything, and as unpredictable as the woman was, she knew chances were good.

She raised the phone towards her chin while holding her gaze on Erin. "Hey Mr. West. Not the best timing, what do you need?"

"I-I had to tell you something."

"Okay. What is it?"

"Look, I know you and Janet started talking about a lot of things, you asked her about our divorce and all that." Trina rolled her eyes a bit, failing to see why this was a good time to have this conversation. "She said we just drifted, but that's not true." Henry's voice started to break. "I…Jade told us what happened to her…I need to get this off my chest."

Trina watched Erin's nostrils flare once more, the woman's upper lip twitched and her eyes narrowed. "Keep going, Henry."

"It's because she didn't know, I told her one day and she said she needed time to figure things out. A day turned to a week, a week turned to months, and eventually I was handed a divorce notice."

"What did you tell her?"

"That I…I mocked that woman mercilessly. I knew what Thomas had done to her, because he told me. Then…Then I told Keith about it, he told the girls." Trina's hand moved to her mouth and Erin began to snarl. "We all agreed it was better to keep quiet, but somehow word got around, one thing led to another and everyone started going after her because of us. I-It was wrong, I should never have…I should have told Thomas to fuck off after that, I should have told the owner, told _somebody."_

"I think I get it, Mr. West."

"Knowing that this happened to my little girl." His voice broke and Trina heard a sob echo into the air. "I can never forgive myself, I…I called Thomas, I told him that I wasn't going to keep quiet about it anymore. Regina agreed, she said she's ready to ask him to step down. All of this…All of this is because of that, isn't it?"

Trina sucked in a deep breath. "I think it might be." She heard voices in the background, grabbing her attention. Squinting as she tried to pin exactly who was talking, she felt a certain anxiety gripping at her. "Are all of you guys together over there?"

"We're all here," answered Regina, "I mean of course Denise and Thomas aren't, but we are. We're at the hospital, Cat's in bad shape, but the doctors say she'll pull through." Trina saw Erin's eyes grow wide with realization and she began to breathe heavily.

Trina held out her hand again, mouthing that everything would be okay. "Hey, Mrs. Valentine, you guys caught me right in the middle of my operation here. It's not the best time, but I have Erin with me right now." She heard the parents' gasping and Erin's gaze turned to fear as she glared at Trina. "I was wondering if you had anything to say to her. I know things obviously are pretty messed up right now, and Robbie's clinging to life in the other room as we speak; so if you have something you'd like to get off your chest, now would be a good time."

She wanted to know if they could get through to her, but it was a risky bet. The risk was that they would be too angry to say anything positive, and she wouldn't expect them to do so on any ground. Still, it was worth a try.

If nothing else, she could hope this might turn out like it did with Bruno; but she did realize chances were pretty slim.

"I have something to say," Henry said with his voice growing quiet. Erin's eyes quivered and her fists clenched tight. "Erin, I know we hurt you and honestly nothing any of us can say will be enough; but _please_, our children have done nothing to you. We're the ones that caused the damage, we're the ones that caused the pain; and I wish that things had been different. We were young, we were stupid; and certainly none of us expected one of our closest friends would ever go to such lengths that he did. I…am deeply, truly sorry. I've been living with my own actions, my own inaction, for twenty-five years. Now, what you guys put Jade through, I-I don't know."

"It wasn't _my_ decision," Erin growled. "My brother is responsible for his own actions."

"Exactly," Regina replied, "You don't want to be blamed for something you didn't do. Our children shouldn't have to suffer for something they didn't do. Robbie…Robbie is not his father, Erin. My daughter is probably the complete opposite of the person I was when I was her age, I raised her to treat people with kindness, not-"

"Then explain." Erin chuckled menacingly while glaring at Trina. "For five years I've planned, I've plotted, I've watched." The parents remained silent and Trina felt her heart grinding to a halt. "I've watched your kids pick on people, bully people-even the one person that appears to be saving their life for some absurd reason! If you raised your kids to be different, then why are they acting just like all of you? How long before one of them decides to do what Thomas did?"

Trina rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath. "They know I'd kick their ass first." It would be a hell of a fight, considering it took all three of the boys to try and overpower her at one point, and they failed to do so.

Erin's voice started to tremble and the woman shook her head, uttering a growl. "Why? Why did he do it? You assholes treated me like shit and then he goes and-"

"None of us have an answer," Keith said abruptly. Erin pressed her lips firmly together and narrowed her eyes. "We can explain our actions afterwards. We thought we needed to protect him, he was our friend and we didn't know what the right move was. Friends defend their friends, they have their back. What he did was horrible, without question, but we were scared. I mean, what do you do when someone like that…"

"You do the right thing." Erin snarled. Trina understood, she knew who Robbie's grandfather had been. Thomas was the son of a politician, so he had clout and he had power.

"Erin, we are all sorry for what happened and we know that doesn't change the stuff you went through. If we could change those events, we would. Please, let Robbie go. Take us, name your price."

Erin began chuckling and soon turned her back, her hands dug into her pockets and she quickly shook her head. "I should've just killed all of you from the start." Trina noticed the woman's hands moving in her pocket and watched as she began removing something.

The four officers began moving to make an arrest and Trina tried to call them back, but it was too late. Erin threw some sort of powder their way, Trina turned and shielded her face but all four officers dropped to their knees, screaming as they clutched their eyes.

"Shit!" Trina looked to see Erin running for the room Robbie was in and raced after her. "Erin, stop!" The woman reached the bathroom door and began pounding on it.

"Open this fucking door."

"Go away!" Courtney screamed from inside. Erin screeched and began rattling the doorknob. "I'm serious, leave us alone."

Within a matter of seconds, perhaps longer but perhaps less, Trina heard three gunshots ring out. Her heart stopped when she saw the door had been opened and Courtney was on her knees in front of Robbie with the gun she grabbed smoking.

Erin's body was trembling, blood oozed down her waist and thighs, her hands had fallen limp at her sides. Courtney was breathing heavily, watching with her eyes full of fear as Erin dropped to her knees.

Trina walked towards the girl, staring still at Erin as the woman fell onto her side. Erin's eyes were wide and shocked, gazing at the child as the life faded from her. "What," Courtney said breathlessly, "What have I done?"

"It's okay." Trina knelt onto one knee and extended her hand. "You're safe now." She hoped that the medics would get in and get Erin before she succumbed from her wounds, but if not, that was fine too. All that mattered in her mind right now was the safety of both Courtney and Robbie. "Can you stand?"

Courtney nodded slowly and placed a trembling hand into Trina's. After helping her to her feet, she made her way over to Robbie, who was gazing up at her with a wide, frantic gaze. "I'm getting you out of here, Rob." Robbie sputtered, struggling to speak.

Gary ran up behind her with his team, a look of bewilderment was etched onto his face. "What the hell happened here?" Trina looked over her shoulder and sighed.

"Courtney ended up shooting Erin. Could we make sure she gets medical attention?"

"Yes, I have medics waiting outside for the all clear." He crouched beside Erin and felt of her pulse. "She's still with us, still breathing."

"Well send them in then."

Gary nodded and called for the medics to enter the mansion. It was not long before they had both Erin and Robbie on stretchers outside. Trina was surprised to see Mrs. Shapiro without her husband, the woman cradled Robbie's head in her arms, her face wet with tears.

Gary stood beside her, his hands on his hips and his head bowed as a contemplative expression grew on his face. Another officer approached him and whispered something that made the color drain from his face.

"What's the matter?" Trina turned to him, her brow furrowing. Gary's voice trembled as he answered.

"Thomas Shapiro was found hung to death in his garage." Trina's heart sank and her hand rose to her mouth. "It's an apparent suicide." It was a devastating, crippling blow, and one that would surely affect Robbie. Although, given what he likely knew about his father and what he'd been through due to the man's own crime, she wasn't too sure Robbie was going to have an opinion right away.

* * *

Well, Erin's been taken down, but it seems a bit bittersweet. Robbie's safe, nothing will eer be the same for him though.


	20. Strength Means Surviving

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 20 (Strength means Surviving)

Seated in Tori's hospital room, Trina had her elbows bent on her knees and her chin perched onto folded hands. Her eyes focused on her sister's form and she watched every slow breath.

Doctors said the night before that Tori had become responsive. For Trina, it was emotional, happy news, but she didn't know how to explain all that had gone on. She wasn't even sure what to say when the girl woke up. Chances were likely Tori would want to know where her friends were, she'd want to know where their parents were and everything that transpired.

When Trina arrived, the sun had been glaring through the window, so she closed the curtains to shield a little of the light as she strangely wanted Tori to have her sleep. Even now, she didn't want Tori to wake up and see the tears streaming down her face, it was almost too much

Beside her, Jason was asleep as well, having been up most of the night with her. She'd been unable to sleep, her thoughts too focused on everything that happened and with her aunt and uncle flying in to see them.

It was difficult to feel like a hero, knowing that all Tori's friends still suffered and would continue to suffer. Even more, how could she feel heroic knowing that when she left for Texas, she'd have to take Tori with her?

The door opened slowly and Trina looked up to see a man and a woman entering. The man was tall, had wavy brown hair parted on the left while the woman stood at his shoulders with straight brown hair whose tips kissed the very top of her shoulders.

"Hey dude," The man said, trying to lift her spirits with the joking greeting he'd always used with her growing up. "How's she holding up?" He pointed to Tori. His voice was soft and had a slight tremble, concern was clear in his eyes as well as his wife.

"She's sleeping, Uncle Ted." Trina crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "The doctor said she started to respond and wake up last night." Ted smiled gently and nodded to her.

"How are you holding up?"

"I've been better." She swept her fingers across her forehead and let out a heavy sigh. "Not sure how much worse things could be." She tried to be optimistic about things, but at this point optimism was proving difficult.

Yes, Tori was responsive. Yes, all of her friends made it out. There were still a lot of things that were negative weighing her down, and some things were scarier than others. "Part of me doesn't want to take her away from her friends, but the other part of me realizes that she can't stay here."

"You wouldn't want her to be alone," the woman replied. Trina chuckled and shook her head.

"You're right." Her shoulders rose, then fell. "And I would want her with me, too. What do you think I should do, Aunt Brad? I know she loves animals and would love to be on your ranch, but there's only so much before she starts missing her friends."

"She'll always have the opportunity to communicate with them online, and certainly you two can always visit"

"True."

She heard a groan and looked up swiftly to see Tori starting to move her hand. She flew out of her chair, knocking Jason's head up and waking him up, then rushed over to Tori's side with a gasping cry.

Tears filled her eyes as she took Tori's hand and watched her sister's eyelids slide open. The girl looked confused for a brief period before her gaze connected with Trina's. "Trina?" Her voice was broken and raspy.

"Hey sis," Trina stammered out. Jason walked over to her side and gently placed an arm around her shoulders. "Long time no see."

Tori looked around the room until she spotted her aunt and uncle. "Uncle Ted? Aunt Bradley? What are you guys doing here? Where am I anyway?"

"Hospital room in downtown LA," Aunt Bradley said with a soft tone. "You're safe now."

"Safe…" Tori closed her eyes and breathed in. "I remember dreaming that I saw Mom and Dad, Dad was telling me that I was safe and needed to wake up." Trina lowered her gaze and sniffed as her tears slowly dripped from her chin. "Momma kept saying I couldn't go with her, I really wanted to go wherever she was going but she wouldn't let me."

"You dreamt about mom and dad?" Trina tried to crack a smile, but her heart was steadily breaking as she knew she had to be the one to tell her. Likely she wasn't remembering everything right now. "Do you remember anything about it?"

"It was so vivid. We were all at home, well Mom and Dad and me…They started to say it was time to go, they had to leave somewhere." Her knees began to buckle and she placed her head gently on Jason's shoulder, trying not to break down in a fit of tears. "I asked if I could go with them and they said no. I wanted to be with them and they said I couldn't join them where they were going, not yet."

"Oh Tori."

"Isn't that such a weird dream?" Tori looked around again, blinking twice. "Where are mom and dad anyway?" Ted and Bradley bowed their heads and Trina started to sigh. Realization flashed in Tori's eyes and the girl's lips parted as the shock hovered within her breath. "Dad. H-He got shot; but Momma?"

"They're gone, Tori." Tears welled up in Tori's eyes and she slowly shook her head. "I-I'm sorry. I couldn't save them, I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help all of you that night."

"No, you didn't know." Tori began panting, her every breath quick and shallow. "They're really gone?" Trina gently squeezed Tori's hand and tried to speak with a calm, reassuring voice.

"It's going to be okay. We'll have to move onto Uncle Ted's ranch for a while."

"Oh…"

"I want you to know, I love you very much." Tori sniffled as Trina reached over to sweep the girl's hair away from her face. "I'm sorry we fought that night, things were said that were wrong to say. I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you."

Her sister smiled a small amount and took another deep breath. "I love you too Trina. I thought you'd run away to Texas and never speak to me again. I just-my friends, I didn't know what to do."

"They're your friends even if they pick on your sister. If it were me, I know I'd defend you to the ends of the world and back." Tori chuckled warily and looked to Jason.

"Yeah but Jason, Lindsay and Travis would never make fun of me like that. I know they wouldn't." Trina laughed once, wishing that Lindsay could be there right now to make a quip. She and Travis were exhausted though, and Jason being there was enough support for her. "But they also wouldn't be pissed off with you if you told them to knock it off."

"Neither would your friends," Jason remarked. Tori pursed her lips and he furrowed his brow at her. "Friendship is about trust and respect, and being able, when someone oversteps, to say 'knock it off'. Your friends will realize it if you say you don't want them demeaning Trina." He paused for a moment. "And in all honestly, I would be much happier if they didn't either. You've never seen one of Trina's venting when she comes over. It's not pretty."

Trina crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "Most girls want chocolate and flowers. I love both; but both are not enough to appease me."

Tori cried out and began looking around. "Oh my god, Jade and the others, where are they? They were taken too. Are they safe? Are they okay?"

She waited for her sister to grow quiet, unsure just what to say regarding the group. To say they were 'okay' would be far from the truth. "They're safe. They're all in the hospital recovery rooms. Most of them. Robbie's undergoing surgeries."

"Huh?"

Trina exhaled. "Mom and all of your friends' parents knew each other a long time ago and they picked on this one person." Tori sank into her bed, her eyebrows curling together in the center of her forehead as her eyes started to quiver. "Mr. Shapiro did something really bad to this person, she tried to retaliate and went to jail for a long time. As a result, she went after the kids…"

"So, everything we went through was because of our parents?"

"Yes."

"I…I don't understand."

Trina slowly rubbed Tori's forearm and shook her head. "You don't need to know it all right now."

"I'm still very tired."

"I know." The doctor explained that coma recoveries were gradual, so it may take several days before Tori was truly out of this state. She was fortunate Tori was at least able to recognize her and to recognize their aunt and uncle while also structuring these words; but in truth it had been a long time since she was even responsive.

Several days passed before Tori was fully recovering from her coma, and even before Robbie or Cat were even coming close to being released from the hospital. Because of their injuries, they were kept under observation. Some of the nurses weren't even sure they would survive the wounds, but the doctors did their best.

No one in the group had really seen each other, those who were released from the hospital were more focused on spending time with their families. Even Trina was getting everything ready for a move. The family house had been sold and all assets written within the parents wills had been received.

Uncle Ted and Aunt Bradley were busy trying to transport everything from California to Texas, using a large rented U-Haul to do so.

Finally, when Tori was ready to start moving around, Trina was delighted to help her do so. Her first day off the bed was spent in a wheelchair, but that wasn't to say she wouldn't be able to walk. It was going to take time for her body to fully recover, and their Uncle had already contacted the best doctors in the Fort Worth area to help with extended recovery and mobility. They were going to make sure Tori had the best medical treatment possible.

Trina had taken her out to the hospital garden since Tori was itching to go outside. So she was sitting on a bench with a book beside her, her intentions were to read but she was too focused on Tori and enjoying the girl's reaction to actually being able to be outside.

Tori had the widest grin on her face and her eyes were closed as the wind blew through her long hair and the birds sang from the shimmering treetops above. Nearby, in a small pond, fish splashed and zipped across the water, and elsewhere tiny squirrels were playing in the grass.

It was a beautiful, serene sight, and one that brought the first true moment of peace in Trina's life since all of this chaos begun.

Hearing familiar voices from behind, Trina twisted around to see Jason guiding Jade, Andre and Beck outside. Beck's hair was finally growing back, though nowhere near as long or well groomed as it used to be. He was sporting some new facial hair in the form of a stubbly moustache and chin beard.

"Nice facial hair there, Beck." Trina smirked and Beck shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm trying to go for the rugged look. If I have to wear an eye patch, I may as well."

Tori's eyes flew open and she quickly twisted to look over her chair. "Guys!" She gasped in delight and began to turn her wheelchair around. There was a moment of fear when she saw them for the first time, but it passed and tears sprouted from her eyes. "I am so glad to see you."

"So are we," Andre replied. He was finally up and walking, though he did have to use a cane for now as his legs were still weak. "Good to see you awake and moving." Tori smiled at them and moved towards them.

"You won't like seeing the other two," Beck remarked sadly, "Well, you'll be glad to see them like we are but they're not in as good of a shape as we are." Tori frowned, her eyebrows closing together as she looked to Trina worriedly and then glanced back.

"Just seeing you guys worries me enough, how bad are they?"

The others bowed their heads and Jade spoke first, soft and quiet. "Robbie will likely never walk again, and he's lost his entire right arm." Tori threw her hands over her mouth, gasping into them. "He'll have to learn to use his left, but he's not taking things very well. Cat's scarred everywhere, her voice is damaged and her left hand became infected so they had to amputate it."

It was terrible news to hear, Trina was sure Tori would take it hard. "The important thing to remember is they are alive," she said while trying to remind them to look towards the brighter side. "Even when things look grim, just keep pushing forward and try to remain optimistic."

The others nodded and Tori seemed to hesitate, looking between her and Jade as if expecting someone to tell Trina to be quiet. It would have happened in the past, usually someone would bark that they didn't care about her opinion on things. Trina smiled at her sister, catching the glances.

As if they understood it themselves, Jade was the one to speak up. "Trina saved all of us, she's a hero." Tori's eyes lit up with amazement and she turned to Trina.

"Really? You saved them? How did you even find them?"

"I had the best team." Trina tried to flash a toothy grin, but merely smiled while turning her eyes towards Jason. He seemed to grow bright with pride. "I wasn't going to give up, and I wasn't going to take things sitting down either." Though she likely wouldn't have gotten very far if not for that one guy staying behind at the house to wait for her.

"That's great." Tori looked to her friends and sucked in a deep breath. "I'm ready to see Cat and Robbie. Where are they?"

Andre poked a thumb over his shoulder, clearing his throat loudly. "Last we heard, Cat was visiting Robbie in his room. They're probably still in there."

Trina grabbed her book and purse and rose from the bench. "I'll get you over there."

Once they finally made it to Robbie's room, they found Cat in a wheelchair of her own, with Regina seated somewhere near her. Mrs. Shapiro was also in the room, she had a long expression and dim eyes.

Trina knew the woman was going through a rough time, even going so far as to pull out of the Mayoral race that she'd been so involved in. Gary was at the point that he wasn't sure what to do with the woman, because he recognized the suicide note from Thomas had been written in her handwriting, not his. Chances were, she discovered the truth for herself and felt she needed to end his life.

Gary said for now, he wasn't going to do a damn thing. Robbie had enough hell to deal with without losing his mother too. Yes, justice should be served, but in a way, it already was.

Cat's entire body was covered by long pants and a hooded sweater, scars could be seen on her neck and on her face however. Her once long vibrant red hair had been cut short and her brown roots were starting to grow out. Her right hand was still bandaged up and her left arm was resting on the arm of the wheelchair.

In the bed, Robbie was sitting up, staring down at his body while slowly shaking his head.

Cat looked up to them as they entered the room, but did not smile and almost shied away. "Hey guys." Her voice was raspy, slow and strained. "Sorry, I can barely talk. It's good to see you." Robbie looked up, appearing as though he'd rather be dead than alive and in the bed.

"I guess I was the only one not conscious enough to say thank you," he said grimly, "But thanks Trina. I guess I owe you." A long sigh left his lips and Trina slowly shook his head.

"I know it's hard right now," she replied, "and the words 'it will get better', I know more than anything aren't going to be of any comfort but…just try to stay strong, okay?"

"Strong? Strong?" Robbie looked at his body again and scoffed. "Because my father sexually assaulted a woman twenty five years ago and she failed to actually kill his ass or any of his friends, she kidnaps all of us and destroys every inch of my body. I lost my arm, I lost my ability to walk, and I'm pretty fucking sure I'm never going to have kids-" he paled. "Don't ask."

"I know. I wasn't-"

"You're hurting too, I get it. Not gonna sit here and say I got it worse or anything." He turned his head towards her, giving her an inquisitive look. "But why did you save us?" She raised an eyebrow to him. "Why? I know how horrible we treated you, I know you probably hated us and wanted nothing to do with us…so why, when the police got called off, did you waste time and risk your life to save us?"

Trina shrugged. "I missed the misery?" A Halestorm reference in a time she would like to lighten the mood, but she understood the seriousness of his question and why he would ask. "But in all honesty, I did it because it was the right thing to do. Erin forced the police to a freeze and I wasn't going to leave all of you to die."

Tori motioned to her. "She _is _trying to become a police officer."

Jade walked over, raising her hand a bit as asking to speak. It was a bit surprising to see how quiet she was being, but Trina understood this as well. "I don't think we should question it, we're alive because she chose to do the right thing. We're together, and we'll be here for each other. So, yeah it's hard on all of us, but maybe we can help each other to get through."

Trina started to smile, inspired by what she saw in Jade taking steps to address the situation. Perhaps this group would be okay, they could make it. "She's right." Trina looked back at them, seeing Beck and Andre nodding in understanding. Cat's lips were pressed thinly together while Robbie closed his hand up and looked ahead at the wall in front of him. "You've got hell to go through, Tori and I do too, make no mistake about that. You can make it, though. When things seem impossible, you find a way to make it possible."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Several times I thought I wouldn't make it, sometimes I thought there was no way forward. I was scared, and if I didn't have Jason or my friends to lean on, I don't think I would have gotten very far."

Pausing for a moment, she took in the silence in the air and slowly turned to Jade. "Can I talk to you for a second?" Jade curled her eyebrows together and nodded, following her outside.

"What's up?"

Trina leaned back against the wall to the right of the door, she planted her left foot on the wall and crossed her arms. "I need to tell you something before we tell the others." She looked sideways and breathed out. "I think you can help those guys in there, you're strong right now despite the hell you went through. I can see that."

Jade looked down. "I don't know." She rubbed her arm and her gaze flickered sideways. "I don't think I'm going to be able to be strong." The girl bit her lip and tears started to well up in her eyes. She quickly shook her head and wiped away the tears before they could fall. "I don't know how to do that anymore."

"Being strong doesn't mean you're invincible. It doesn't mean you're fearless or that you can't cry or hurt. It means not letting the motherfucker that hurt you win, rising above it all. Turn to your friends, show your emotions and cry, let it out and let them be there for you. In turn, you're there for them. You show that yes, you're vulnerable, but it's _okay_."

Jade sniffed, her shoulders bouncing a bit. "It's hard though. I-"

"Look, I know. I get it." She lowered her voice and dropped her arms to her sides. Jade raised her gaze towards hers and she softened her expression a bit. "Between me and you, I've been there." Jade's eyes grew wide and her lips parted. Trina's stomach turned over and her throat started to burn. She swallowed the feeling down with a growl. "When I was fourteen…I had a guy I was dating at the time, he wanted something I wasn't ready for." She sighed heavily, shaking away the memory and focusing on Jade, standing before her. "He forced me, I couldn't fight him off. I swore I'd never let anyone be able to overpower me again, but…" Her chest tightened and she grit her teeth. "I couldn't understand someone like Erin, someone who got hurt like that and decided to take it out on that person's kid-I would never go that far, no matter how much hate I feel for that person."

"I didn't know."

"Why would you? Even Tori doesn't know." Trina pushed herself away from the wall and swallowed the lump swelling in her throat. "That's part of why I love Halestorm so much, her music is what helped me through that period of time. Lindsay did everything she could not to hunt the bastard down and beat the shit out of him, which I'm glad because I would never want anyone getting in trouble or doing something because of me, you know?"

Jade nodded and dipped her chin downwards.

"The hardest thing for me to overcome was learning that I could be okay in a relationship again." Jade raised her head back up, gasping softly. "Being with Jason, yes we're sexually active, but that first time…the first time was not easy. I had him continue talking to me, acknowledging himself and, I had to be willing to let myself experience that and to know that it wasn't a bad thing."

"You think Beck and I will ever be okay with each other again?"

Trina smiled at her, giving a swift nod. "You will if you take time to be honest with each other and allow yourselves to be vulnerable to one another. It's going to be hard at first. When you feel his touch and you flinch or pull away, remind him that it's not because of him. When you're scared and having those flashbacks, tell him it's okay for him to hold your hand, to talk to you and remind you that you're safe."

"I-I'll try."

Trina walked towards her and extended her arms. "Can I give you a hug?" Jade nodded and leaned into her, letting her wrap her arms around her. The girl buried her face into her chest, letting her tears run down her cheeks. "You're a strong woman Jade." Her voice was a whisper now, her eyes grew misty. "Erin can't beat you, she can't beat any of you. She's lost, you won. Hector cannot harm you ever again, those men and women that hurt you will never be able to hurt you again. You're the phoenix, you can and _will_ rise above. I know you will."

"Thank you." Jade pulled away, sniffing and wiping away her tears. "I get why Jason seemed outraged when Hector made that remark to you."

"You'd never know it by looking at him, but Jason is protective. Not over-protective, but there are some triggers. It's not his fault, only natural especially against people like that. You might find Beck doing the same thing if some guy or girl makes a remark to you, just remind him that you're okay."

"I will…"

"Now, those guys in there have been hurt in a lot of different ways, you know that. They've got a lot of things that are never going to go away. I want you to stay strong and be there for them, but allow them to see you cry so they know it's okay to cry."

Jade nodded slowly. "But what about you? What about Tori? Why are you asking me to do that?" Trina sighed and closed her eyes.

"Because of what we're about to have to tell them. I'm still going to have to go to Texas, my aunt and uncle live there. Now that mom and dad are gone-"

"Tori has to go too." Jade frowned and looked down, her hands closed up and she started to shake a bit. "I see. Not like I can fight you on that, but I don't think Tori will mind it so much either. She was always upset because she didn't want to be separated from you, I think that was her big gripe with you leaving."

"Yeah well, now she won't have that problem. But, I hope she'll still be able to communicate with you guys."

"Shouldn't be a problem. I mean, we have computers and phones."

"Exactly." Trina pat Jade on the shoulder and motioned her head to the door. "Ready to go back in?"

"Yeah, I guess we have to break the news to the others, huh?" Jade cleared her throat and Trina thought she saw a flicker of admiration in the girl's eyes. "I'm going to try, you know, to be strong. For them, for you, for myself…"

"Being strong for yourself comes first. It'll take time, but every day you move forward is another day that the pain becomes easier. Because you're not just being strong, you're _surviving_. When you show that you can survive and be strong, the others will see they can make it too. Like I keep saying, let them be there for you and you be there for them."

Jade gave one last nod before walking back into the hospital room with the others. Trina was confident that Jade would be the one to lead this group out of the ashes. They would have their share of difficulties and that was no mistake, but they could pull through.

* * *

Tori's finally awake, the group is all together again. Of course, they won't be happy to see Tori leave them, but it's the facts of life. They can still communicate, and like their aunt and uncle said, they can always visit once in a while. Trina may be right that Jade would be the one to help the others start to heal. What are your thoughts on it all?


	21. Graced by an Idol

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

Chapter 21 (Graced by an Idol)

The courtroom was packed with people that the group knew and those that had no true connection to them. The press was allowed, given the high profile nature of the case. Trina sat in the row in front of the group, as though still guarding them. She was seated between her aunt and uncle while Tori opted to sit with her friends due to wanting to spend as much time as possible with them before they moved.

Jade gripped Beck's hand tightly, breathing in and out as slow as possible. Andre's unwavering glare remained focused on Erin as she sat in the booth beside the judge. Robbie's face was twisted in a virulent, unforgiving sneer aimed at the woman while Cat seemed to be looking everywhere but at the woman.

They were doing their best to be strong, as difficult as it was for them to be present. Trina was proud of them and hoped this was a sign that they would continue to progress.

Erin tried to appear above it all in the face of witness testimony and evidence. Her head was held high, her eyes were shut and her body firm; but if she truly thought anyone could find her not guilty, then she was verifiably insane in Trina's mind. Even the defense was trying to get her a reduced sentence.

When Trina heard the juror spokesperson announce the verdict of guilty, she felt a vicious smirk curl on her face. A wave of sighs rolled across the group behind her, so immense that even Trina practically felt the relief and tension rolling from them.

Erin's tough façade seemed to crumble before their very eyes and the woman slowly turned to Judge Michael Reyes. He was a staggering, immense figure with broadened shoulders and a deep gaze, his graying hair swept around the back of his head, forming almost a crown for the bald spot at the top.

"Your crime is egregious beyond words or belief." The judge's voice boomed as if God himself spoke from the heavens. Judge Reyes peered over his thin glasses and down his sharp nose at Erin. "In light of your premeditated planning, understanding of science and chemistry as well as organization, I will not rule in favor of insanity. That would be too light of a punishment for you." Erin's eyes grew wide and the Judge quickly cleared his throat. "The state of California does not allow the penalty of death, though your crimes would certainly warrant such punishment. Therefore, I hereby sentence you to a life in prison without the possibility of parole."

Trina leaned towards her uncle, still grumbling over the litigation rules. Her voice was kept at a low whisper. "Texas would sentence her to death, that way she'd never stand a chance of being put on the streets again. God knows how much she can operate from prison bars and escape." Ted sighed heavily and whispered back.

"That may be, but remember death row inmates still sit for decades at times. So if she would try to escape or try to come back from behind prison bars, she could still try even on death row. May be harder, but I wouldn't worry about that kind of thing."

"I'll never understand why this country feels the need to hold criminals for so long. Decades, even, it doesn't make sense. No other country does that."

This time it was Aunt Bradley who answered, she moved her hand over Trina's and gave it a light squeeze. "I know you're still angry," whispered the woman, "I know you're hurting too." Trina closed her eyes and bowed her head. "The woman is going to be put away, and right now all you have to focus on is healing. You have your life, you have your sister and your boyfriend too. Don't spend your breath or energy worrying about how this woman will be punished for what she's done…I know it's difficult, but we give the people that hurt us far too much power when we give them even one single thought towards them."

"Yeah, I said the same thing to Jade recently…" Trina raised her head and breathed in slowly, watching as Erin began to shake uncontrollably and release crocodile tears before being dragged off by the officers. "There are more pleasant times coming. She's gone, everyone will move past that."

Ted smiled at her, giving a gentle pat on her shoulder. "You guys will be okay. Tori's friends will be fine too, in time." He reached into his jacket and Trina looked over. "I've got something for you. You mentioned Jade invited you to that Halestorm concert but she only had one ticket, right?" Her eyebrows rose and she watched as he removed multiple slips of paper. "Wasn't cheap, but I bought some extra tickets to that concert for the rest of your friends. No price is too much."

She gasped, almost screaming with elation in the middle of such a somber period. She knew the others probably didn't like Halestorm as much, but just be able to have everyone together was important. "Thank you so much, Uncle Ted." She hugged his neck and grabbed the tickets, showing them off to Tori and Jade."

"There's another surprise with those," Bradley remarked, "Take a look."

Confused and curious, she looked down to the tickets. Her heart stopped and her jaw fell open as her widening eyes read the word 'backstage'. "Are…" She pulled her hand to her chest and felt as though she might faint at any minute. "Are you serious? I-I…" Tears filled her eyes and her hands began to shake as she looked towards her aunt. Bradley smiled tenderly and nodded back at her. "I love you. How?"

"How isn't important dear."

Ted chuckled and shook his head. "Your aunt literally wrote a letter, hunted down the band somehow and was able to talk to the bandmates."

"What?"

"One of the Mrs. Hale's security detail was an old friend of your aunt's, so they got her in."

Tears ran down Trina's cheeks as her heartbeat flickered. Throwing her arms around the woman, all thoughts of the present moment and of Erin were eradicated. Bradley hugged her back, slowly rubbing circles on her back. She heard Bradley whisper to her husband.

"Ted, I thought I told you to wait until after the trial."

"Well the trial is over," he said with a low chuckle, "I wanted to give her a bit of good news to take her mind off all this. Couldn't wait any longer."

"Good call."

Several days passed before the concert, those days were spent getting ready to move and spending as much time with Tori's friends as possible. Tori still seemed amazed that the group wanted Trina there, though she knew what her sister had done for them. It was hard for her to get used to that because she'd been in a coma the entire time, but she seemed to like the change.

Of course Jason and the others were around as well, dispelling the rumor that the friends had in thinking Lindsay didn't like Trina or laughing over Cat's annoyance that Jason was in fact Trina's boyfriend and had been even during the time they were doing their 'costume party' at Sikowitz's place.

At the concert no one in the group, not even Robbie, seemed to be thinking about the ordeal they'd gone through. The event was taking place outside, with the sun setting behind them. Fans crowded the area, all screaming and jumping, while Trina watched impatiently for her idol to arrive on the stage.

Jade sidled up beside her, a huge grin spreading across her face. "You might be our hero, but this one's your hero." Trina couldn't help but to laugh. She threw her hair back over her shoulder and flashed a toothy grin.

"Hey, Elizabeth actually played a role in your rescues, so she's your hero too in a way."

"For sure."

Music began to play and Trina gasped, she turned her eyes to the stage and watched as fog rolled off the stage and the curtain started to rise, showing the band.

_Heathens_ was playing. Elizabeth Hale stood in front of the stage, her left hand gripping the microphone stand and her right hand sliding down from the top. "All my friends are heathens take it slow…" The woman was sporting her dark, short hairstyle, her dark eyes flickered out to the crowd and her powerful voice filled their ears. "Wait for them to ask you who you know. Please don't make any sudden move, you don't know the half of the abuse…"

The singer's body started to twist as she raised her voice up.

Trina began pumping her fist in the air as she started to get into the music. Soon after, the singer began to sing _Misery._ Trina felt the power of the music coursing through her veins and bit her lip as she continued pumping her fist in the air and cheering with the fans.

She could feel the others watching her and they too started to join with the excitement and energy that was rushing over the crowd.

The next song was _Apocalyptic_, then _Black Vultures_, _Freak Like Me, mayhem, _and _Do Not Disturb._

Then the singer sang one final song, one that she said she wanted to dedicate to fans that were in attendance who had gone through a terrible ordeal. The song was _Dear Daughter_.

Trina felt every muscle in her body tremble as she grew completely still. For a moment, she thought she saw the singer's eyes connect with hers. Jade fell silent as well, bringing her hand towards her chest and looking over her shoulder to the others.

Tears ran along Trina's face and dripped off her chin, but her lips formed a smile. Her eyes closed and she swayed until the singer stopped suddenly. Opening her eyes, she saw the singer looking around the crowd.

"Is there a Trina Vega in the crowd tonight?" Trina's heart stopped and her breathing hitched. Speechless, she took a small step back while the others remained shocked. The singer stepped onto the steps leading off the stage. The band continued behind the woman, playing softly as Hale moved her microphone to her lips. "And her friends, I believe?"

Trina's knees started to buckle and she froze, shocked that she was hearing her favorite singer address her. The woman actually knew her name! This was clearly Aunt Bradley's doing.

"Over here," Jason shouted. Her eyes opened wider and she turned to him, whimpering as he clapped his hands in the air. "They're over here."

The fans turned to look at her, then started to move out of the singer's way as the woman continued her song. Trina cupped her hands over her heart and started to weep as Hale walked towards them. Beside her, Jade was trembling as well and the rest of the group remained too stunned for words.

As the woman neared, the moment grew so surreal that Trina felt like she was watching as if a ghost. When the woman was directly before her, within arm's reach, Trina almost lost it and started to fall to her knees. She grabbed Jason's arm and bit her lip.

The singer looked into her eyes and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Trina gasped out at the touch, as though she'd just been graced by a god. She watched with parted lips as Hale moved away from her and over to Jade, gazing into the girl's eyes and giving a tender nod.

Then the song was over and the singer uttered three simple words. "You are strong." Such a simple statement, yet so immensely powerful that it all but broke her to hear. "Join me after the concert?" Hale had moved her microphone away and was looking directly at Trina. "You and your friends."

Trina could hardly utter her answer, so Jason said that she'd love to accept the offer. Hale smiled at them and started to walk back towards the stage.

"Oh my god," Jade said with a stuttering voice, "Did that just happen?" Trina turned to her and took her hands, practically screaming and still shaking.

"We just met Elizabeth Hale. It totally happened."

"I think I'm gonna die!"

"Don't die, we get to hang out with her after the show!"

"Oh my god!" They screamed and jumped like overly excited schoolgirls, leaving their friends watching and shaking their heads. The others started to grin, revealing their own excitement. Granted they weren't hardcore fans, but even they had to be happy in this moment. "She touched us too!"

"I'm never washing this shirt again."

"Same!"

Tori wiggled her nose and looked at the others, shrugging her shoulders at them. "Is anyone else weirded out by them right now?"

"Don't question the moment," Jason replied laughing, "I love seeing Trina happy like this." Beck nodded in agreement, gazing at Jade with a warm smile. "Your aunt and uncle did a good thing, it isn't every day your idol actually acknowledges you like that."

It was a powerful moment, each of them were aware. This moment, this meeting, would certainly linger with them all. Something positive to impact their lives, Trina could see that may have been what her aunt was trying to do for them. Certainly the woman had to have jumped through quite a few hoops to achieve it, and she was immensely grateful for it. This was a night she would not soon forget.

* * *

Aunt Bradley and Uncle Ted definitely did something good (side note, they are the main characters of an late 80s and early 90s nickelodeon show 'Hey Dude', in case you were wondering). Looks like Trina and the group will have a really good positive memory after tonight to look back on for a long time, certainly something to help them heal. What are your thoughts towards everything in this chapter?


	22. Paying Respects

Pay the Price

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: The epilogue chapter, enjoy it

* * *

Chapter 22 (Paying Respects)

Four waited in a cemetery, each standing beside a gray truck and watching as a police vehicle pulled up to them. They watched as Gary stepped out and opened the back door, letting Denise carefully exit. Her eyes met theirs and her lips pressed firmly together. "Been a long time," she whispered, "But thanks for asking me along."

Henry West raised his shoulders and turned his head down the paved, narrow path. "I just figured we should all be here." He looked towards Janet with a broken smile and she gently ran her hand over his left shoulder. Nearby, Regina stood with a bouquet of white roses. Keith was leaning against the hood of the truck, his arms folded across his chest and gaze fixated down the path.

Denise raised her head a bit, her brow furrowing. "Thomas?" Henry closed his eyes and shook his head. "It wouldn't do him much good any way."

They made their way in silence down the path until they reached a tombstone with a stone angel crafted on top of it. _Gracie Nelms_ was the name upon the marker, the group watched as Regina placed one of the white roses before the marker, her hand trembling and fresh tears moving from her eyes. "Forgive me," she whispered softly, "Had I known…I would not have given you that chili."

As she rose upwards, the others studied the grave with a somberness in their gaze. Each of them remembered the young girl, smiling and laughing; and they could almost see her there before them just as she was back then, spinning around with her dress spinning as she kicked up the dirt and danced about. The youngest of the those who died, too tragic of a loss.

They moved slowly until they reached the next marker. Henry gazed up at the grey clouds above them, his heartbeat flickering as a cool wind caressed his face and body. "Can I put this one down?" He heard Keith ask. His gaze drifted towards the man and he watched Regina hand him one of the roses.

The man knelt before a gray slab and began to pull some overgrown grass off the marker, revealing _Louise Brown's _name. Keith's lips pressed firmly together and his brow began to furrow.

Henry could almost see the girl's spirit standing there, looking down at the man with a lingering gaze, her long brown hair hugging her shoulders. She'd been more than just 'sticky fingers' back then, always swiping things from people. She was one of Keith's good friends at the same time, Henry remembered fondly how the pair would always be together laughing about their next greatest scheme.

Sometimes she'd grab something off a mark, then Keith would try sell it back to the person. "You just had to take my food one more time." Keith chuckled mournfully. "We always messed with each other. You didn't do anything wrong, 'sweets'." He cracked a smile as tears ran down his face and dripped off his chin, reflecting the sunlight as it fell upon the rose. "Sleep well."

Keith rose, his breathing shallow and quick. Henry reached over to him, gently placing a hand upon his shoulder. The man closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath "Shoulda been me, not her…"

"I don't think she would agree to that," Henry replied, "What would she do hearing you talk like that?"

He chuckled. "Throw something at me and tell me to get a grip."

"Well, you want me to find a stick or something?" They didn't have to be entirely somber, no they wanted to remember and cherish the lives of those innocents that had gone on in their place; and the way to do that was to honor their lives, relish those happy memories. "Ready to move on?"

"Yeah."

The next grave was towards the back of the cemetery, it was a stone cross bearing the name of _Micah Grant_. Henry pictured the teenager standing there in basketball shorts and a white shirt, he always had a toothy grin and a basketball tucked underneath his left arm.

This time it was Denise who stepped forward, taking a white rose from Regina and placing it gently in front of the grave. Her lips trembled as her long hair fell around her face. "Cousin…Never could stand how the girls and I acted. Probably would be lecturing me to no end right now if you had the chance." She chuckled softly. "I guess when it's my time to join you, you'll have a whole speech planned out. Why'd ya have to pick that day to show up Holly, though? Who am I to talk, lecturing you about using fire to fight fire…" She bowed her head more, her voice breaking. "Oh Micah. I'd give anything to hear another one of your damned lectures." She looked up to the sky with a brief smile. "You'd better have one ready for me when I see you next, cuz."

The final marker belonged to _Kyle Williams._ Henry stood before the youth's grave, his hands closing a bit until he felt Janet's hand grace his. Turning his head slightly, he watched her take a rose offered up by Regina.

The pair knelt down and Janet set the rose at the man's grave. Henry pictured him standing there, throwing a football up in the air. "I remember how you'd always be going on about your favorite teams, always asking everyone to play a game with you. We never spoke much…I preferred the waves."

Henry closed his eyes and a heavy sigh fell from his lips. "I wonder, if you knew what Thomas had done to Erin, would you have taken that bowl from him? You always did the right thing though, you tried to be there for her back then; but we never made it easy." His words seemed to tremble away from his lips, his heart pounded in his chest and he could feel his stomach tightening. "I…We are sorry. Words can't express how different things should have been."

Janet reached out with a careful hand, her fingertips gently brushed along Kyle's name as tears slid down her cheeks. "Rest in peace Kyle," she whispered. Maybe Kyle would have gone on to join his favorite football team, maybe he could have become big time or settled down into a quiet life. There was no way of knowing how different things could have been for any of them.

A shadow fell over them and they looked up to see Erwin Sikowitz walking over. His forehead was creased and he was wearing a suit. "You guys are paying your respects as well?" Sikowitz asked. Henry and Janet rose up and stepped over with the others.

"Yes. After everything, we felt it was important." Sikowitz smiled gently and looked over to the grave, his eyes were moist. "We haven't visited Holly or David yet." Sikowitz looked back slowly and gave a brisk nod.

"Give it a little time. The girls are over there right now, they want to be alone there." Henry understood, if Trina and Tori were visiting their parents' graves then they didn't need to be disturbed. "I've been going over a lot of thoughts in my head lately…" Sikowitz breathed in slowly, then blew an exhale sharp and fast. "I've come to a decision."

"About?"

Sikowitz turned towards Kyle's grave and seemed to study it. His hands fell to his sides and his eyelids closed like curtains over a window. "I'm retiring as a teacher."

"What?" His voice rose with surprise. "But you're Jade's favorite teacher." Regina and Keith voiced the same regarding their children. "Those kids might still want you teaching them."

"I'll still be around, just I've been thinking I've done a disservice to my dad and grandfather and to these four kids." Henry furrowed his brow and the others exchanged confused glances. "You see, the camp had to close after what happened. It always could've been reopened, but I've been so afraid, upset, angry…and why?" Sikowitz crossed his arms and frowned. "Gracie, Louise, Micah, Kyle…it wasn't _their _fault."

"No."

"We can spend as much time as we want trying to find blame or finding someone responsible; but that wouldn't solve the problem. That wouldn't honor the innocents who had to suffer." Sikowitz shook his head. "No matter what Thomas did, no matter what Erin did then or now, no matter what you did or did not do; it is all in the past. All we can do is move forward with our lives."

Henry agreed with him, despite all the pain he felt and all the anger towards those that led to his own child being hurt in such a violent way. He knew he had to put it behind him somehow, and looking at the others, he could see the same in their eyes. Even Denise seemed to be listening to the teacher's words and taking them to heart.

"So what will you do?"

Sikowitz turned to them. "I am reopening the camp." The man paused for a moment, his gaze lifting thoughtfully. Henry raised his eyebrows and felt a wave of surprise rush over him. "Or yet a fresh start. Named in their honor…"

"Really?"

"Four Hearts Campgrounds, I think that name works." Sikowitz looked back at the grave with a twinkle in his eyes. Henry was excited to hear what the man was planning, and certainly he thought it would be nice to have a place that the kids could go together that wasn't just school.

Sikowitz raised a hand up to his chin, tucking his forefinger beneath it. "Maybe I'll erect a memorial somewhere there for them too. Maybe."

Nearby, Henry pictured the four teens standing there, watching on with grins spread across their faces.

"I think it would be a good thing for you to do, we'd be glad to see it up and running." Henry chuckled softly. "I'm sure Jade would love to take part in it, it would give her something to do, somewhere to go."

Sikowitz smiled for a moment, then nodded. "Then it's settled. I'll try to have the campgrounds up and running soon." Sikowitz clasped his hands together and then leaned over the grave marker, quickly brushing some dirt off of it. "I can't think of a better way to pay my respects and move forward…"

* * *

Well that's the end. I wanted it to be about honoring the lives of those lost lives so it seemed more appropriate that the parents would be the ones there since Trina and Tori didn't really know them. Also, Sikowitz deciding to continue down his family's legacy. What do you think of everything? I'm grateful to all who followed along this tale. I'm debating a potential sequel, but not sure what to do with it. It would probably have to center around Jade and the crew in Cali and go back and forth a little bit with the Vega girls somehow as they adjust and cope with moving forward. Would you guys be interested in seeing that at some point? Let me know.


End file.
